Pictorial Cutting and Chopping Techniques in the Kitchen

by Abbas Jahangir · July 7, 2021

Knives are one of the things we use most often in the kitchen. The most common process we do is cutting and chopping. You may have chopped uploads of vegetables and fruits over the years.

So, did you really chop with the right technique? So are you holding the knife in the most efficient and truly secure way? Do you know about chopping techniques? Do you know what chopping shapes will look aesthetically pleasing and provide the best cooking? You can find the answers to all these questions in our article.

The first rule of thumb for the best chopping is that the blade is sharp enough. The second rule is the correct holding technique. The thumb and forefinger should hold the top of the blade, while the other fingers should hold the handle lightly.

Weight should be given to the wrist in knife movements. Thus, the energy is used in the most correct way. After choosing the right knife according to the product and holding it correctly, you can choose the most suitable one for your meal from among the different chopping techniques.

Bear claw grip is the most commonly used holding method when holding the product to be chopped. In this grip, fingertips are pressed on the product with slightly bent inward. Thus, both the finger knuckles are aligned and the possibility of a cut on the fingertip is reduced to zero against possible accidents. Now let’s take a look at our list of chopping shapes and names.

International Names of Cutting and Chopping Techniques

1) Julian

Whether you’re an amateur cook or a professional cook, one of the cuts you’ll hear most is the julienne. In this technique, the products are chopped into thin and long shapes.
The thickness is approximately half or a knife-edge. The length can be changed according to demand, there is no specific standard. However, care should be taken to ensure that all cut pieces are of equal length and thickness.
Especially among the vegetable chopping techniques, it is preferred quite often because it gives an elegant appearance and provides convenience in cooking.
Among the meat chopping techniques, julienne cutting can be used depending on the type of food. For example, in fajitas, both meat and vegetables are julienned.

2) Bayonet

Bayonet cut is the name given to the slightly thicker julienne cut.
Most french fries are chopped bayonet style. This technique can also be used as a preliminary study for mirepoix, a method of breaking any food into small pieces.

3) Mirepoix

The most widely used cutting technique in Turkish cuisine is the mirepoix technique.
With mirepoix, which is a dicing method, the size is adjusted to fit 3-4 cubes in a tablespoon.
First, the product is chopped long and then these long finger-sized pieces are turned into cubes by turning them on their side and cutting them again.
We can say that mirepoix is the equivalent of the words “cut into cubes” in Turkish cuisine or “cut into cubes” for meat.

4) Chiffonade

Chiffonade is a technique used especially for cutting leafy vegetables. After the leaves are placed on top of each other, they are wrapped together and the chopping process is done in this way.
Thanks to the chiffonade, vegetables are chopped into thin strips practically and quickly.
This style, which is one of the international chopping techniques and used in professional kitchens, is reflected in amateur Turkish kitchens, by chopping lettuce leaves on top of each other for salad.

5) Brunoise

Among the onion chopping techniques, the most commonly used method is brunoise chopping. In this cut, which is known as “chopping onions for edibles” in Turkish cuisine, the product is made into small cubes.
The process can be done by first obtaining long strips on the wood and then turning them into cubes, or it can be done by making notches on the hand product.

6) Jardin

If the pieces obtained in the Brunoise chopping technique are chopped a little thicker, they will be Jardin chopped.
In other words, cubes are obtained in the Jardin method.
This type of cut is a preferred method in meat dishes, although it is not very common.

7) Macedon

A top model of the Jardin chopping style is the Macedon cutting style. It should fit about 10 cube-shaped pieces mashed in a tablespoon.
Vegetables cut with this method can sometimes be used in filling and sometimes in sauces.
It can also be preferred from time to time in Macedonian meat dishes.

8) Vichy

Especially the cutting of tube-shaped vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers into rounds is called Vichy.
Whether or not the skin of the vegetable is peeled using the Vichy technique is optional.

9) Landscape

The pieces obtained in the landscape joinery technique, whose other name is “days”, are square strips.
The cutting thickness is the thickness of the knife edge.
In order to capture the square strip form, first, the outer parts of the product are made into squares.
Afterward, the cutting is completed as in the Vichy method.

10) Matignon

If you progress by obtaining pieces of random sizes in the Peyzan chopping method, you will have made Matignon chopping.
It can be used when preparing Matignon-style vegetable dishes and vegetable soups.