It happens that a dish doesn’t turn out the way it should, even though you followed the recipe. Of course, the products are different and so are the ovens... But most often the problem is different. You need to learn how to properly cut ingredients.
Carrot cutting
1. For soup: Cut a peeled medium carrot in half lengthwise. Place cut side down on the board and cut in half again lengthwise. Then cut crosswise into slices no thicker than 2.5 mm. If the carrot is large, each half can be cut not in half, but into three parts - also lengthwise.
2. For pilaf: cut the peeled carrots crosswise into pieces 5-6 cm long, then lengthwise into slices 3-4 mm thick and then again lengthwise into strips 2-3 mm wide.
3. For the vegetable stew: Cut the peeled carrots crosswise into pieces about 3 cm long. Then cut each piece in half lengthwise. Place the resulting halves on the butt and cut, as if following the arrow on a dial, measuring the sectors at an angle of “5 minutes”.
4. For aspic: cut longitudinal triangular depressions in the peeled carrot along the entire length, making two cuts at an angle to each other. There should be at least 5 such indentations, preferably 7. Then cut the carrots crosswise into circles - or rather into flowers, no more than 3 mm thick.
Potato cutting
1."Country style": Cut new potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut the halves lengthwise into 3-4 pieces to make slices. If the potatoes are large, cut the potato in half crosswise at the very beginning.
2. French fries: cut off the “butts” of a peeled potato so that you get a barrel 6-7 cm high. Cut this barrel lengthwise into plates 1.2-1.5 cm thick. Then cut each plate lengthwise into bars 1.2-1.5 cm wide see “Butts” can be fried separately, cut in half or into 4 parts.
3. For the soup: Cut the peeled potatoes in half, place them cut side down on the board and, holding the knife horizontally, cut into slices about 1.5 cm thick. Cut vertically into bars 1-1.5 cm thick, then perpendicularly into cubes with a side of 1.5 cm.
4. For potato casserole: Peel small or medium-sized potatoes and cut crosswise into slices as thin as possible - maximum 3-3.5 mm. This is best done with a knife that has small indentations on the blade so that the knife does not “stick.” Or, dip the knife in warm water frequently.
Onion slicing
1. For the salad: Cut out the “stalk” of the peeled onion - it is too hard and tasteless. Cut the onion in half crosswise, place it on the cut side and cut each half in half lengthwise. Then place the knife in the middle of the vertical cut and cut as if following the arrow on a dial, with thin (2-3 mm) feathers.
2. For soup: cut the peeled onion in half lengthwise without cutting off the base so that the half does not fall apart. Holding
by the base and holding the knife parallel to the board, cut the half into 2-3 parts, not reaching the base by 3-4 mm. Then, holding the knife perpendicular to the board, cut the onion into 8-10 pieces, not reaching the base. Rotate 90° and cut into 3mm pieces. Discard the uncut base.
3. For the stew: peeled onion, cutting off the “tail”, but without cutting off the base so that the half does not fall apart, cut in half lengthwise, place on the board cut side down. Holding it by the base, cut it into half rings approximately 3 mm thick. If the onion is very large, cut into rings into quarters - to do this, first cut the prepared half lengthwise exactly in the center, not reaching the base by 3-4 mm. Discard the uncut base of the onion.
4. For baking: cut off the base of the peeled onion plus another 4 mm - so that the onion looks like a “cup”. Lower the onion for 5 minutes. into boiling water, dry. Using a thin knife or skewer, remove the narrow, dense center from the onion (it is not needed). A space is formed in the center, which will allow you to gently squeeze the bulb and remove the “cups” carefully, without tearing.
Cabbage slicing
1.For the pie: Chop the cabbage in the same way as for pickling, leaving it lying on the board. When the board is full (or all the cabbage has been chopped), turn the board 90° and chop the cabbage across the strips into small pieces, no more than 6-7 mm long. This can be done with either a large chef’s knife, a cleaver or a special cabbage slicer.
2. For cabbage soup and pickling: Cut the head of cabbage in half lengthwise (a large head of cabbage into 4 pieces). Place cut side down and, holding the stalk, chop the cabbage into strips 3 mm thick for cabbage soup and 5-7 mm thick for pickling. Go around the stalk, slightly turning the head of cabbage. If the strips are too long, cut them in half. All this can be conveniently done with a large chef’s knife, a paring knife or a saw knife with a vertical handle.
3. For frying in batter: cut a small head of cabbage lengthwise so that the stalk is cut exactly in the middle. Now cut the halves of the head of cabbage into sectors, holding the knife at an angle of approximately 30° - and be sure to keep part of the stalk in each sector - so that the sectors do not fall apart during further cooking.
When cutting vegetables, the knife blade should be directed away from you, towards the work surface. You need to hold the knife like this: your thumb is on the side, along or under the handle of the knife, and the index finger, together with the other fingers, clasps the handle from above (and does not lie on top of the edge of the blade). When cutting, the tip of the knife should not come off the board, moving back and forth. In this case, the “heel” of the knife will describe a circular motion in the vertical plane. The fingers of the second hand holding the product should be tucked.
Food can be a person’s main desire, addiction and even bad habit, but often it is not only the taste that makes our hearts flutter in anticipation of gastronomic pleasure, but also the sight of the very food that we so want to eat. One of the ways to aesthetically decorate dishes is the correct cutting of vegetables, and this is what we will talk about.
Main types of cutting vegetables
Slicing can be simple or curly, the first is the basic methods of everyday preparation of vegetables for further preparation of a dish; methods of cutting curly vegetables have the only purpose - decorating a festive dish.
Circles
Nothing complicated - cutting off a small layer of potatoes and root vegetables to give them a cylindrical shape. This type of cutting of vegetables is the easiest to do. To perform this, hold the knife at an acute angle, resting the tip of the blade on the cutting board. The knife should move down and slightly forward, cutting all the way through the vegetable, as shown in the photo.
Cubes
Cubes are the most common type of cutting; they can be small, medium or large. Small cubes have a side of 0.2-1 cm, medium ones - 1-2 cm, large ones - more than 2 cm.
This cutting method requires a well-sharpened knife; the smaller the cubes, the sharper the cutlery should be.
Let's look at dicing using onions as an example:
- Cut the peeled onion into two halves lengthwise. Place the onion half on the board and make deep vertical cuts.
- Next, cut the onion in half horizontally.
- Cut the onion into cubes.
Straw
Cutting into strips occurs as follows: potatoes and root vegetables are cut into plates, and then cut into strips. If the recipe “talks” about shredding, then the product must be cut into thin and long strips; white cabbage is most often cut this way.
Such types of cutting vegetables as julienne and shredding are performed using a regular knife, a hatchet, and a mandoline grater.
Thin straws are cut into strips 3-5 cm long and 2-3 mm thick; thick straws are characterized by the following dimensions: 4-6 cm x 5-6 mm. If thin straws are mainly used for preparing fillings for pies, then thick ones are used for soups, stews, and pilaf.
Whetstones
To form cubes, vegetables are first cut into thick plates, then the knife is turned into a vertical position and the plates are cut into cubes. These forms of cutting vegetables require a well-sharpened knife and caution. The blocks can be thin or thick, the former are characterized by dimensions of 5 x 2 x 1 cm, and the latter - 6 x 3 x 2 cm.
Slices
What are slices? This is a type of vegetable slicing that can be done lengthwise, crosswise, and also diagonally. For example, potatoes and root vegetables are cut into 2 or 4 parts lengthwise, and then slices are made from each part.
They can be small, ranging in size from 1 to 4 millimeters, or medium, measuring from 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters. Small slices are typically used for dishes that involve boiling vegetables and then chopping or pureing them, while medium slices are used in salads, stews and soups.
Half rings and rings
Half rings and rings are the types of cuts most typical for onions and leeks. Vegetables are cut into circles across the axis and then divided into rings. Accordingly, for half rings, the rings are cut in half.
For preparing salads and appetizers, it is best to make thin rings, ranging in size from 1 to 4 millimeters, while thick rings (from 0.5 to 2 centimeters) are used for baked dishes, and, of course, battered onions.
About the methods of curly cutting
Beautiful cutting of vegetables is used to decorate the dish. Let's give a simple example of cutting carrots into shapes. 4-6 grooves must be cut along the entire length of the carrot, their depth should not exceed 4-5 millimeters.
Three-dimensional figures from vegetables can be obtained using carving devices, but if you use a little skill, you can make an interesting three-dimensional decoration even if you don’t have any at hand.
How to make a rose from a cucumber
Let's look at an example of creating a rose from vegetables (such a rose can be made from cucumbers, carrots, beets):
Take a vegetable peeler and pickles. Cut into long and thin slices. You don't need peeled slices.
One of the most important steps in the cooking process is learning how to properly chop food. After all, there are no trifles in cooking, and such an action requires a certain skill. Take potatoes, for example. In most cases, at the initial stage after cleaning, it needs to be cut. Depending on the specific dish, the chopped preparations must have a certain shape. Let's say that for work you need rectangular blocks like straws. What should be done in this case? How to cut potatoes into strips? It turns out that this can be done in different ways.
French fries
Nowadays, fast food has become so popular that many even try to cook their favorite dishes at home. The banal force of habit works. As you know, no fast food establishment is complete without the famous French fries. Moreover, doing it is not at all difficult. The main thing is to give the main product the appropriate shape. Here the question arises: “How to cut potatoes into strips?” To do this, you can use the simplest method. The only tools you need are a sharp knife and a cutting board.
To understand how to cut potatoes into strips, you must strictly follow these steps:
- The tubers must be peeled, washed and dried thoroughly with a paper towel.
- To make the straw long, the potato must be placed on the board so that the knife blade runs along it.
- The tubers should be carefully divided into even longitudinal rings.
- Each workpiece must be cut into strips no more than 5 millimeters thick.
After this, the prepared potatoes can be sent in small portions into boiling oil.
The secret of the correct form
When ordering French fries in a cafe, people are often surprised at how even the sides of the fried pieces turn out. After all, this vegetable has an oval shape, and when cutting, some of the preparations should be slightly rounded. Here the chefs have their own secret. They know exactly how to cut potatoes into strips so that each piece has the correct shape.
The fact is that before chopping the tuber you need to:
- First cut off the side longitudinal edge.
- Rotate the potato 90 degrees along the axis and separate the same part on the other side. You get two flat sidewalls.
- Place the product on one of them and divide into even pieces parallel to the second cut. Set the remaining rounded part aside.
- Divide the resulting blanks into strips of equal thickness.
As a result, there will be neat large straws with regular, even sides on the cutting board. And the cut pieces of potatoes remaining after processing can be used to prepare other dishes.
Preparing for frying
Fries are just one way to fry potatoes. But most housewives rarely use it at home, mainly due to the high oil consumption. It is much more economical to simply fry potatoes in a frying pan. At the same time, it can also be crushed in the form of straws. In this case, it is better to use smaller or medium-sized tubers. How to cut potatoes into strips for frying? The technology of this method is much simpler than previous options. To work, you will need a cleaned and washed product. It must be dried first to avoid unwanted splashes from contact of moisture with boiling fat.
Processing of prepared potatoes takes place in three stages:
- The first step is to cut off both tops of the tuber. So it becomes like a small barrel.
- You should place it on one of the bases (the wider one) and, holding it with your other hand, carefully cut it into equal plates with a knife.
- Without lifting it from the board, turn the product 90 degrees and do the same steps.
The result is a neat straw, the size of which depends on the selected thickness of the plates. The remaining ends can also be cut. True, they will be shorter than the others. But for frying it doesn't really matter.
Technology to help
Every housewife is familiar with the situation when, as they say, guests are already on the doorstep, and there is very little time left for cooking. For example, I would like to surprise them with thin fried potato strips, but I have absolutely no time to deal with careful slicing. What should you do in such a situation? How to quickly cut potatoes into strips? For such a case, there should always be special household appliances in the house. Today, purchasing it in a store is not difficult. You will need a regular vegetable shredder with an attachment for cutting into strips. With its help, in a matter of minutes you can turn any amount of potatoes into a mountain of thin, even pieces.
After that, all that remains is to fry them. If you are planning a side dish in the form of French fries, then the semi-finished product must first be poured onto a napkin to remove excess moisture. The product should not be piled up. It must be spread out in a thin layer and blotted several times while the oil is heating up in the frying pan.
Combined option
Each dish has its own special ways of cutting the original ingredients. For example, it cannot be said that potato straws can only be made with a sharp knife. There are many other options, and each of them is good in its own way. Let's assume that you need to prepare potato pie as a side dish. This is a very tasty product that looks very impressive on a plate. How to properly cut potatoes into strips for such a dish?
Experienced cooks in this case proceed as follows:
- First, each peeled tuber is cut into thin slices. You can do this with a knife or use any mechanical chopper.
- Then each plate must be chopped using a Korean carrot grater. The result is small straws no more than 2 millimeters thick. Plus, they will all be the same size.
After this, the prepared product can be further used for its intended purpose.
A good example
Recently, designers have developed many unique devices that greatly simplify work in the kitchen. For example, not long ago original potato cutters appeared on sale. A simple device invented by Chinese craftsmen. It is a plastic case, in the center of which steel knives are fixed in the form of a lattice. Looking at it, it’s easy to figure out how to cut potatoes into strips. The photo will help you understand this issue in more detail.
The operating principle of the device is extremely simple:
- The peeled tuber must be placed on a cutting board.
- Place a potato cutter on top of it.
- Holding both hands at your sides, press firmly on the device.
The result is blanks of the same size and cross-section. By placing the potato in a vertical position, you can get large straws in a matter of seconds with minimal physical effort. The instructions show the principle of operation of the device using photographs that clearly demonstrate the simplicity of its operation.
If you want beautifully cut carrots, choose the circle shape. In other cases, when it is not so much the shape of the cut that is important, but rather the efficiency of cooking (for example, for stews), choose a cut in the form of triangles.
Slicing into circles
Hold the carrots firmly, placing them comfortably on the cutting board. If you're chopping with your right hand, hold the carrot with your left, tucking your fingers under the curved part. To adjust the thickness of the circles, use the protruding knuckles on the fingers of your left hand, which should be in contact with the plane of the knife.
Slicing into triangles
Slice the peeled carrots in half lengthwise and then cut each half into thirds to form small wedges (hold the knife at an angle of 45°C). Next, cut the wedges crosswise and you will have carrot pieces in the form of triangles.
Dicing
Cut the peeled carrots into sections 5–7 cm long. Give them the appearance of rectangles by cutting off the rounded parts. Cut each rectangle into slices, giving them the thickness that cubes should have. Then cut the slices lengthwise into strips (remember the desired width of future cubes). At the final stage, cut the resulting straw crosswise.
In order to prepare any dish correctly and efficiently, so that it does not turn out raw and is beautiful, it is necessary to use a certain cutting method. In total, there is 7 main types of cutting vegetables. The proposed memo will help you remember them, remember them if you forgot, or got confused about them. If all the skills and knowledge have been achieved, then it’s time to have a good rest. And this, of course, is a worthwhile thing in any case. First of all, you, as a woman, need to understand one truth as much as possible - you deserve quality rest. And there simply cannot be a better rest for a housewife than the bathroom!!! And for this you need to arrange your bathroom as much as possible... But if you still have a good comfort in your home, then don’t forget about the bathroom. This is truly a room where you can do everything flawlessly. And this impeccability will be very useful to you, for example FRESH tiles (Keraben) which can be found in the store: keramogranit.ru, wonderful tiles that you simply cannot refuse - I advise... It is also important not only what you cook, but also where you cook, and if you want good cuisine, then Julia Novars kitchens are what any housewife dreams of. After all, here both good quality and an excellent price play in the interests of the buyer.
Vegetable cutting form circles. Usually the thickness of the slice is up to 2-2.5 centimeters (depending on the dish for which the slice is made). Used mainly for deep-frying and baking (for example, the French country dish "Ratatouille").
Type of cutting vegetables slices. Typically 0.2 centimeters thick and 0.3 centimeters high. The thickest for baking, the thinnest for vinaigrettes.
Method of cutting vegetables in slices. Cut into lengths of no more than 3.5 centimeters. Typically used for making country-style potatoes and frying potatoes the basic way. And also for garnishing and garnishing (decorating and adding vegetables to the main dish).
Method of cutting vegetables straw. It is cut into lengths of 3-3.5 centimeters and has a cross section of 0.2×0.2 centimeters. Potato straws are used to make potato pie. The remaining vegetables are for making salads.
Method of cutting vegetables small blocks. Usually cut to a length of no more than 3-4 centimeters and a cross-section of 0.4×0.4 centimeters. The sticks are used to make French fries and add to soups and salads.
Type of cutting vegetables cubes. Typically the sizes range from 0.3 to 0.7 centimeters. This form of cutting vegetables is most often used to add to salads and soups.
Method of cutting vegetables - shredder. This is an arbitrary very small or large cutting of vegetables and herbs. It is used to decorate a dish and sometimes add herbs or garlic and onions to soups to make them less noticeable when eating the dish.
Also, for your convenience, we have taken photographs of the main cutting forms in the form of one image, which you can download to your computer and use as a reminder in case of difficulties.
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