Healthy Kitchen 101

The Heart of The Home Beats in The Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Main Course
    • Side Dishes
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Appetizers & Snacks
  • Reviews
    • Nutrition
    • Water Filters
    • Juicers
    • Blenders
    • Food Processors
    • Kitchen Knives
    • Garbage Disposals
    • Kitchen Faucets
    • Refrigerators
    • Grills
    • Cookware
    • Toaster Ovens
    • Air Fryers
  • About
Home›Reviews›Kitchen Knives

The Basic Types of Cuts Every Cook Should Know

Last Updated: July 28, 2020
Disclaimer: The products featured in our Top Pick List are chosen independently and without conscious bias following our Product Review Procedure. We may receive commissions from purchases made via our links at no additional costs to you.
Written by Luna Regina on July 15, 2020

Types of Cuts Cook Should KnowBasic things matter, and the mastery of the types of cuts is one of the most important steps in becoming a cook. At a culinary school, you may learn it even before learning how to sharpen your knives properly.

Knowing how to do basic cuts can enhance your overall performance in the kitchen. It improves your prepping speed, as you don’t have to do too much thinking and envisioning before pushing your knife down.

When the materials are cut properly, they’re more likely to be cooked evenly to the desired degree of doneness. Uniformity in the shape and size of the veggies also makes the dishes much more aesthetically desirable.

With that in mind, equip yourself with a chef knife or a santoku (oh yes, the type of the knives used matters too!), and let’s take a look at the most popular cuts and how to perform them.

 Basic types of cuts 
MeasurementsStripDice
3/4 in x 3/4 in x 3/4 inCarré
1/2 in x 1/2 in x 1/2 inParmentier

1/4 in x 1/4 in x 2-2.5 in
BâtonnetMacédoine
1/8 in × 1/8 in × 2 inJulienneBrunoise
1/16 in × 1/16 in × 2 in
Fine JulienneFine Brunoise
1/2 in x 1/2 in x 1/8 inPaysanne
1/8 inChiffonade

Basic Types of Strip Cuts

Batonnet

batonnet knife cut

Bâtonnet, pronounced bah-tow-nay, is a French word that means “little sticks”. And that’s exactly what you’re supposed to produce – the Batonnet refers to cuts of 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 2-2.5 inches (6mm x 6mm x 5–6 cm) batons. This is one of the most basic cuts in French cuisine.

Steps to perform the basic Batonnet cut:

  1. Get a knife, preferably a sharp chef’s knife.
  2. Remove both ends of the object you’re batonneting, be it a carrot, a cucumber, or a beetroot. (Let’s hope it’s not a ripe tomato you’re practicing the technique on.) Cut it into 2 inches long portions.
  3. Cut the sides of each portion until it becomes a rectangular shape.
  4. Cut those pieces into 1/4 inch slabs.
  5. Cut the slabs lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips.

Note: Try to not let the guilt of producing so much waste affect your cuts. You can always collect the unused materials for other dishes, or run them through a juicer if they’re juiceable!

Julienne (or Allumette if it’s a potato)

Julienne knife cutThe measurement for julienne (pronounced joo-lee-en) is 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 2 inches (3mm × 3mm × 5 cm). The Julienne can be achieved by cutting the Batonnet lengthwise into 4 equal square sticks, and then into 2 crosswise.

Fine Julienne

Fine Julienne knife cut

Measured 1/16 inch × 1/16 inch × 2 inches (1.5mm x 1.5mm x 5cm), the fine julienne can be make by cutting a normal julienne into 4 equal sticks lengthwise. But of course it’d be easier to make it from thin slabs rather than sticks.

Cube cuts

Carré (Large dice)

Carre knife cutsThis cut features cubes with 6 even sides measuring approximately ¾ inch (2 cm).

How to do the Carre cut properly:

  1. Perform topping and tailing on the object (carrot/potato/ect). Cut the sides so it becomes a rectangular shape.
  2. Cut it into slabs measuring  ¾ inch in thickness.
  3. Cut the slabs lengthwise so they become sticks measuring ¾ inch x ¾ inch in depth and width.
  4. Cut the sticks into ¾ inch x ¾ inch¾ inch cubes.

Parmentier (Medium dice)

Parmentier knife cutThese cubes measure approximately ½ inch x ½ inch x ½ inch (1.25 cm each).

The Parmentier can be made in the same way as the Carré, except with smaller measurements.

Macédoine (Small dice)

Macedoine knife cutThe measurements for this cut is ¼ inch (6mm) x ¼ inch x ¼ inch. Cut the Batonnet and you’ll get this 🙂

Brunoise

Brunoise knife set

Little cubes measuring 1/8 inch (3mm). They can be made from the Julienne.

Fine brunoiseFine brunoise knife cut

1/16 inch (1.5mm) for width, depth, and length alike. Do the Fine Julienne, and cut the sticks into these little cubes. You will need a thin and extremely sharp chef’s knife to do this cut! (Read more: How To Sharpen a Knife)

Other cuts

Paysanne

Paysanne knife cutThe Paysanne is a more informal French cut. Basically, you cut the veggies/fruits/roots with a measurement of about 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1/8 inch in mind, but the shape is decided according to the shape of the object itself.

Chiffonade

This is a technique with which you cut herbs or leaves into long, thin strips (ribbons).

How to Chiffonade:

Chiffonade knife cut

  1. Gather the leaves or herbs into a stack. Put larger ones at the bottom and smaller ones on top. According to Wikihow, you can have about 8 to 10 small leaves (basil, catnip, lemon balm, ect) or 3 to 4 large leaves (lettuce) at a time.
  2. If the leaves are large enough, roll them into a cigar shape.
  3. Slice the roll into thin strips of about ⅛ inch (.3 cm) in width.

Filed Under: Kitchen Knives

Related Posts on Kitchen Knives

  • Best Paring Knives in 2021 – Buyer’ Guide & Reviews

  • Best Magnetic Knife Holders 2021

    Best Magnetic Knife Holders in 2021 – Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

  • Best Chef’s Knives 2021

    The 10 Best Chef’s Knives in 2021 – Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

  • How to Clean a Knife Block: Complete Guide, Tips, and FAQ

  • Types of Kitchen Knives

    The Different Types of Kitchen Knives and Their Uses

  • J.A. Henckels Knife Block Set Reviews

    Best J.A. Henckels Knife Block Set – Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

Comments

  1. Avatar for charlotte staffordcharlotte stafford

    May 2, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    what would a cut size of a chop be? and a tourne?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Natalie EllisNatalie Ellis

      May 3, 2018 at 2:56 am

      Hi Charlotte,
      I don’t think a chop has an exact size, but for veggies it’s usually about 1/2 to 3/4-inch. A football shaped tournee, meanwhile, has length of about 2 inches and width of 1 inch at the center. I’ve seen smaller tournees too though, so the cut is probably more about the shape than the size.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Written by Luna Regina on July 15, 2020
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Related Posts

Best Santoku Knives 2021

Best Santoku Knives in 2021 – Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

Best Kitchen Knife Sets 2021

Best Kitchen Knife Sets in 2021— Buyer’s Guide and Reviews

Best Steak Knives 2020

Best Steak Knives in 2020: Buying Guide & Reviews

Best Kitchen Knives 2021

The Best Kitchen Knives in 2021 – Buyer’s Guide & Reviews

As Seen On

Healthy Kitchen 101 Featured

HealthyKitchen101.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca

  • Home
  • About
  • Guideline
  • Affiliate Disclosures
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Contact

Copyright © 2017–2021 · Healthy Kitchen 101, LLC
DMCA.com Protection Status