Essential Cutting Techniques Every Chef Must Master
Cross Chop
One of the cutting techniques that chefs should learn is the Cross Chop. This technique is ideal for quickly chopping small vegetables or herbs without worrying about presentation.
Rock Chop
Another useful technique is the Rock Chop, which is similar to the Cross Chop. Hold the handle of the blade, keep the tip of the knife down on the board, and use your other hand to move the ingredient.
Julienne Cut
The Julienne Cut is a fine cut where the thickness of each slice is between 1-2 mm. It involves cutting the vegetables into thin rectangular shapes, followed by using the fine slice technique to create thin matchstick shapes.
Brunoise Dice
Chefs can use the Brunoise Dice technique to dice the ingredients into small cubes. The cube size should be 2mm x 2mm x 2mm, making it the smallest dicing cut, popularly used for soups.
The Small Dice
The Small Dice technique is a slightly larger cut than the Brunoise Dice, with dimensions of 3mm x 3mm x 3mm. Chefs can begin this technique by Julienne Cutting the ingredients and then dicing them into slightly bigger cubes than the Brunoise.
Pont-Neuf
Lastly, the Pont-Neuf technique is only related to cutting potatoes. After peeling and washing the potatoes, cut them into 2cm x 7cm shapes to create chunky chips.