Learn the basics on cutting in Katie Goodman's Kitchen 101 article that's posted up today.
Katie writes:
Many around the world have resolved to start cooking more in 2010. I'm a firm believer that anyone can follow a simple recipe once educated on some basic terms. If you don't know what chop, cube, dice, julienne, mince, or slice mean, it can be hard to prepare a recipe. Someone might brand themselves to be a "horrible cook," when really they just need to understand a few terms. Here are some of the most common cutting terms spelled out verbally and visually.
I was thinking that this post was going to be absolutely brilliant, but now am thinking you are only half-way there. I was expecting to see some step by step instructions for doing all of the above. I think that a real amateur would look at the picture and say, "Okay great. But how do I do that?"
Reply to this comment
Thanks for your feedback. The photos and the text-directions illustrate the techniques clearly.
Reply to this comment
I love the photo! Great skills too! I am excited to get in the kitchen now:)
Reply to this comment
That dice looks too big-- should be ~1/4" cubes, not <1/2" cubes. Same for the julienne-- much too big in cross-section. Same with the mince-- needs another round of chopping.
It does matter, since it affects heat transfer. If a recipe says to add a minced ingredient and cook for two minutes, thicker pieces won't be as cooked as they should be after two minutes.
But, I'm just a home cook-- would love to hear a chef's opinion.
Reply to this comment
I will concede to you on the matter of the dice because among the sources I used for this post some directed that a dice was <1/4 while others said that it was <1/2. I am not an expert julienne artist. The idea of this article was to provide some direction to those who may need some. As far as the dice show, it was actually 1/4 inch cube and the mince was quite small, but I guess photos can distort that.
Reply to this comment