Basic Food Cuts and Shapes

1. BASIC KNIFE
CUTS & SHAPES

2. Why there’s a
need to develop
knife skills and to
know the basic
cuts?

3. 1. Uniform cooking time.
• Large pieces of vegetables take
longer to cook than smaller
ones.
• Consistent cutting technique
ensures your food is cooked to
a uniform degree of doneness.

4. 2. Enhanced visual appeal.
• Again, it's the art part of the culinary arts.
• Sloppy knife work makes for a sloppy-
looking dish.
• Skilled knife work indicates a cook who
takes pride in their work and doesn't take
shortcuts. It's a way of paying a compliment
to whoever you're serving the dish to —
saying to them, in effect, "You're worth the
trouble."

5. BASIC CUTS IN
COOKING

6. ALLUMETTE
• Definition: A strip cut measuring ¼
inch × ¼ inch × 2½ inches.
• Pronunciation: al-yoo-MET
• Also Known As: Matchstick cut

8. JULIENNE
• Definition: A strip knife cut
measuring 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch ×
2½ inches.
• Pronunciation: joo-lee-ENN

10. BATONNET
Definition: A basic knife cut
measuring ½ inch × ½ inch × 2½-3
inches.
• Pronunciation: bah-tow-NAY

12. CUBE
Definition: A cube shaped cut
½ to 1 inch

13. DICE
• Definition: A Cube shape cut measuring ¾ inch × ¾ inch × ¾ inch. Smaller
than cube cut at about ¼ inch
FINE DICE
• Definition: A cube shape cut measuring ½ inch × ½ inch × ½ inch.

14. BRUNOISE
Definition: A cube shape cut measuring
1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch.

15. MINCE
• To cut into very small pieces. This term
means the smallest possible pieces;
smaller than dice or chop, but not
pureed.

17. CHIFFONADE
• herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as
spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin
strips. This is generally accomplished by
stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then
cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp
knife, producing fine ribbons.
• "Chiffon" is French for "rag" referring to the
fabric-like strips that result from this
technique. To chiffonade simply means to turn

19. TOURNE
•French, turning
•2 inches by 7 sides
•Soccer ball