The most common types of cuts used in professional kitchens

Every kitchen connoisseur knows that food enters first through the eye. Knowing the most common types of kitchen kn ives used

by professional chefs will be necessary for professional slicing, cutting, chopping or dicing of fruits and vegetables.

As we know, when preparing recipes, care must be taken that they not only taste exquisite, but also look provocative when presented. Stay with us and we will show you the characteristics of the different kinds of cut

that exist. Here we go!

Types of cuts most used in kitchens by professionals according to their use

There are different types of professional kitchen cuts

that are carried out according to the intention of the dish to be prepared. For example, some ingredients can be cut into long thin strips to prepare chop-suey, or into very small pieces to make a rich sauce.

Next, we will show you the most common cuts in the kitchen

according to their use:

Julienne cut

The julienne cut

is the best known and used in the kitchen. It is obtained by making longitudinal cuts in thin slices of a vegetable or vegetable to obtain strips of uniform appearance. Julienne cut strips are approximately six centimeters long by half a centimeter wide.

It is usually used when preparing salads, as it is the ideal cut for onions, leeks, carrots, cucumbers, among others. It is also suitable for sautéing vegetables in a wok and preparing delicious oriental dishes.

Cut into sticks

This is another type of Julienne cut only with much thicker strips, that is, six or seven centimeters long by one centimeter wide. The cut in sticks

is very common to prepare the traditional French fries.

It is obtained by first slicing the vegetables, vegetables or greens, and then proceed to cut the sticks. When cutting them, you should take care that they all have a uniform appearance.

Cut matchstick or matchstick

The matchstick cut

also comes from the Juliana cut, but its strips are barely a millimeter wide. In fact, its name comes from the fact that its thickness is similar to that of a matchstick.

This type of cut is generally used to make allumette style potatoes. Although it is also widely used in exotic oriental recipes.

Paille or straw cut

Like the previous cuts, this one is also derived from the Julienne cut, but very thin slices are cut and then extra thin strips. The result is such delicate and abundant cuts that because of its peculiar shape it is known as thread or straw cut

.

It is the cut used to make potato nests, straw potatoes or pommes paille.

Brunoise cut

It is the cut in very small pieces

or dices used mostly to cut vegetables. It consists of slicing vegetables into slices, and then cutting them first horizontally and then vertically, to obtain tiny squares of two millimeters on each side.

The term brunoise is a French word related to the verb to brown, hence it is used when we need to sauté or brown vegetables. It is the cut indicated to make sauces, vinaigrettes, stews, etc.

Chiffonade or chiffonade cut

Among types of vegetable cuts

is the chiffonade, which is used to cut broad-leafed vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach. It is usually used to make salads or to prepare recipes that serve as a side dish or garnish.

It is made by rolling or folding the leaves several times and then cut them into very thin julienne strips of about five millimeters. This way you will obtain many flat and elongated strips that will give an attractive aesthetic to the salads.

Paisana cut

This is a fairly simple cut and widely used in every kitchen. It consists of applying a cut in large and thick squares

of more than one centimeter thick on carrots, potatoes, or any other vegetable.

This type of vegetable cutting

is often used for boiling and mashing or serving as a garnish for the main course. Also, it is often used in the preparation of stews, casseroles and soups.

Cut mirepoix

The mirepoix cut

is quite similar to the paisana cut, only that the pieces are smaller, reaching approximately one centimeter. In this type of cut it does not matter that the pieces of vegetables do not present uniformity in size, as it seeks is the ease of cooking.

It is the perfect cut to prepare vegetable omelets, although it can also be used in fried foods and purees.

Sliced or Spanish cut

Of all the cooking cuts

, this is the easiest to perform and to identify, since its name describes what it consists of. It is applied on vegetables with cylindrical or oval shapes, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, lemons, etc.

Although the slices do not have a specific thickness, they can be cut from two millimeters to one centimeter thick. It is ideal for raw or cooked salads, although it can also be used in grilled vegetables and even fried potatoes in this shape.

Biaus cut

The biaus cut

is a variation of the slice cut. The only difference between the two is that the biaus cut is made obliquely, resulting in a slice that is elliptical in shape rather than round.

The main purpose of this cut is basically decorative. Although, it is also quite practical at the time of frying, because of its shape it fits easily in the frying pan.

Chateau or Turned Cut

The intention of this turned cut

is exclusively to decorate the garnishes of the dish served. It is a rather laborious cut but the elegant effect on the dish is worth it.

Start with a fairly thick Julienne cut on a carrot, potato or pumpkin, and then turn its angles with the help of a knife. The idea is to give it the shape of a rugby ball, then cook it and serve it covered with sauce or sautéed with butter.

Noissette or hazelnut cut

Although it is counted among the professional kitchen cuts

, it is actually done through a small punch and not a knife. It consists of obtaining small balls or spheres of soft and pulpy fruits or vegetables, such as melon, mango, zucchini or potatoes.

If we use a larger punch, we obtain the parisien cut

. Both cuts are used for decorating because of their nice circular shape and at the same time to prepare ice cream, fruit cups, pearl cuts, etc.

Chip cut

This is a cut in high demand in restaurants. As it is a very thin slice cut

, it requires the use of a mandolin in order to guarantee uniformity in the cuts.

Commonly chip slicing

is usually done on plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. The thinner the slices obtained, the firmer and crispier the result of frying or baking.

Rotary cutting

This exotic cooking cut

is of Asian origin and is only performed on elongated vegetables such as eggplant or zucchini, among others. The rotary cut is obtained by turning the vegetable while cutting.

That is, you should make a slant cut on the vegetable and then give it a 45-degree turn. Immediately you will give it the second slant cut, followed by another twist and so on until you are done.

Van Dyke cut

It is a decorative kitchen cut

with sharp zigzag effects. The Van Dyke cut is especially for fruits and vegetables with rounded shapes and its appearance has a striking visual effect.

It is made by means of a special knife that helps to make the cut design more precise.

Importance of a good cut in the kitchen

Proper cutting in the kitchen according to the food to be prepared is not a matter of whim of the cook. In reality, food cuts

influence the optimal cooking of ingredients to achieve the desired texture, flavor and appearance.

In addition, cutting fruits, vegetables, greens or any other food without uniformity in thickness, shape and size will make your dishes look bad when you serve them. Therefore, it is necessary to put into practice the different cuts used in professional cooking

if you are looking for impressive looking dishes.

Useful tips for successful professional kitchen cuts

If you want to learn how to perform professional kitchen cuts

with some skill, follow the following tips we bring for you.

• Practice makes perfect. Developing skill in executing the various cooking cuts is not something that is achieved overnight. It will take a lot of practice to achieve the dexterity, speed and confidence needed to make culinary cuts.
• Get the necessary tools. It is obvious that the most important thing to make any type of cut is to have a quality knife with a good edge. Make sure you have the right one, as there are different types of professional kitchen knives for cutting, filleting, chopping and slicing.

We have already introduced you to the most common types of cuts used in professional kitchens,

now we just need to get down to work and start practicing them. We are convinced that you will leave your guests pleasantly impressed. Give it a try!