How to professionally cut food. Slicing vegetables - the main types and methods, cucumber rosette

Before you start cooking, you probably check if all the products are in stock, if there are the right frying pan and a saucepan, have skewers or foil been forgotten ... But it is no less important to know the technology of the process. How and what to hold a chef's knife, how to properly cut vegetables into cubes or strips - all these subtleties of culinary skills will help you cook the dish faster and make it tastier.

Squeeze the handle of the knife, as close to the blade as possible, with your thumb and bent index fingers, the remaining three fingers wrap around the handle of the knife. Don't grip the knife too tightly or you'll tire quickly, but don't hold it too loosely either.

The thumb of the second hand is laid back - it seems to embrace a vegetable or fruit and pushes it towards the knife. The remaining fingers should be bent inward: the second phalanxes of the index and middle are located almost perpendicularly, the little finger is by no means protruding. The blade of the knife is pressed against the folds of the fingers and slightly slips when cutting along them.

The easiest way to cut is when the blade moves from top to bottom. And you can do this in several ways. Hold the knife at a sharp angle, the tip of the blade should rest against the cutting board, cut the vegetable with the central part of the blade. Start moving the knife down and slightly forward, cutting through the cucumber to the end. When the blade is fully on the board, lift it up and return the knife to its original position.

Hold the knife, slightly lifting it, at an acute angle, the blade lies on the board to the middle and is located in the middle part on the carrot. Start moving the knife down and slightly forward without completely lifting the knife from the board.

The blade at the point is the sharpest and narrowest part. It is usually used for delicate cuts such as mushrooms or very ripe tomato, very thin slices.

The central part of the knife is used in most cases - for cutting hard and soft vegetables, greenery.

The heel is the part of the blade opposite the point. Usually used for labour-intensive culinary process when you need to make the most of it, like chopping the white part of a leek or chopping nuts. The load force can be increased by pressing the butt of the blade with the palm of the other hand. This is the most effective method make sharp, rough cuts.

Cubes: small, medium, large.

This is the most common cutting method. Small are considered with a side of 2 mm to 1 cm, medium - from 1 to 2 cm, large - over 2 cm. The smaller the cubes are needed, the better the knife should be sharpened. And it is better to use a special vegetable knife - it is easy to identify by its small size and narrow sharp blade.

Often used when cutting vegetables for cooking uniform consistency(sauces, soup-puree) or those that require very fast frying.

If the recipe says “grind”, this means that the product must be chopped almost into porridge.

Medium cubes are indispensable when cutting vegetables (and other related products - meat, poultry, fish), when preparing the filling, especially for pies.

large cubes are required in dishes whose recipe involves baking in the oven or stewing, for example, roasts or stews.

1. Cut the peeled onion lengthwise into two halves so that the knife goes through both ends - the “butt” and the “tail”, and not through the middle. Lay the half with the cut side down on the board and with the tip of the blade make deep parallel cuts along the length.
2. Turn the knife horizontally and cut the onion in half from left to right. If it is large, 2-3 transverse incisions can be made.
3. Cut the onion with the middle of the knife blade into cubes. The smaller you make the intervals between the cuts, the smaller the cubes will turn out.

If the recipe says "chopped" - this means that the product must be cut into very thin long straws. Most often it is prepared white cabbage, but it happens that common bow or leeks. For such cutting, both an ordinary knife and a hatchet (chopped) or a special mandolin grater can be used. If the straw is too long, it must be cut across into 2-3 parts.

thin straw cut into strips 3-5 cm long, 2-3 mm wide and thick. Most often it is used for different dishes from cabbage or pickled sauerkraut, as well as cooking vegetable filling for pies or caviar.

thick straw cut into 4-6 cm long, 5-6 mm wide and thick. You simply cannot do without it if you decide to treat your loved ones with soups that traditionally languish on fire for a long time, for example, borscht or cabbage soup. Thick straws of carrots - required component for cooking classic pilaf.

1. Cut off the top of the pepper along with the stalk.
2. Cut the pepper lengthwise into slices: the thinner you need the straws, the more slices you can have.
3. Cut the slices lengthwise into strips.

1. Peel the carrots and cut with a sharp knife across, but slightly obliquely into plates, no more than 3 mm thick.
2. Lay the cut plates one on top of the other and cut into strips of the required thickness.

One of the most convenient ways onion slices. It is used if you are going to stew a dish for a long time and is just perfect for cooking pilaf.

1. Cut the peeled onion lengthwise into two halves so that the knife goes through both ends - the “butt” and the “tail”, and not through the middle.
2. Lay the half with the cut side on the board and, with the tip of the blade, cut lengthwise into slices with a thickness of 3-4 mm, moving clockwise.

Circles: thin and thick

This method is applicable to any vegetables that are round on the cut, but not disassembled into layers. It can be cucumbers, carrots, daikon, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, etc., but in no case onions or leeks. As a rule, vegetables are cut in this way for salads or dishes that are baked in layers, such as lasagna or Parmentier potatoes. The thickness of the circle can vary from 1 mm to 1.5 cm. If you want to get very thin circles, it is better to use a special mandolin grater or a very sharp thin knife for cutting vegetables.

Cut the leeks into rings.

If you are preparing a salad or an appetizer, then perfect option- thin rings, 1 to 4 mm thick. For dishes baked in layers, such as vegetable stew, or cooked in batter, thick rings are usually used, the thickness of which varies from 5 mm to 2 cm.

1. Peel off the top layer of the leek.
2. With a sharp vegetable knife, cut across, but slightly obliquely, into rings of the desired width.

We cut the onion in half rings.

This method of cutting is especially good for stewing - poultry, meat, fish.

1. Cut the peeled onion lengthwise into two halves so that the knife goes through both ends - the “butt” and the “tail”, and not through the middle.
2. Lay the half with the cut side on the board and cut along the half-rings with a width of 5 mm - 2 cm with the tip of the blade.

Cut carrots into chunks

Such cutting requires a well-sharpened chef's knife and accuracy, since all culinary flaws and irregularities will be especially noticeable. Thin sticks, 5 × 2 x 1 cm in size, are indispensable in quick fry dishes, especially Asian cuisine wok. Thick, 6 × 3 x 2 cm in size, are often used when canning or baking dishes in the oven.

1. Peel the carrots.
2. Cut with a sharp knife in half lengthwise, then a few more times - the width of the bars depends on what size you want to get them - thin or thick.

Slices: small, medium, large

Slices is a term that is understood quite widely in cooking. It can be cut diagonally, along or across.

small slices with a piece thickness of 1 to 4 mm are often used to prepare dishes that require cooking according to the recipe, followed by mashing. medium slices, ranging in size from 5 mm to 1.5 cm go to salads, soups or vegetable stews.

big chunks exceeding 5 cm are simply irreplaceable when baking, especially meat dishes- it could be leg of lamb or pork knuckle. Or if we are talking about independent vegetable dish, say, from cabbage or pumpkin, which can be baked, fried, cooked in breadcrumbs or batter.

1. Cut each mushroom in half lengthwise or crosswise.
2. Divide each half into thin strips, 1 to 4 mm wide.

Curly cutting

At a good cook everything is important, including the size and shape of the cut products. It depends on how easy it is to mix. different ingredients and soaked in flavor each other how quickly they soften when cooked or stewed, whether they “drain” prematurely in a salad, and a number of other little things that can both emphasize and spoil the taste of a dish. Professional cutting has other advantages: it saves time and makes our food beautiful.

We cut vegetables

Sweet couple: knife and board

We discussed the principles of choosing a knife in another article. In short: for traditional cutting of vegetables and fruits, a large or medium-sized kitchen knife with a wide, even blade without bends and a sharp end, well honed, is suitable. The cutting board should be wood or plastic, never glass. Working on a hard surface will ruin any knife, even the highest quality and most expensive.

General shredding principles

Not everyone knows that shredding and cutting are not the same thing. Even a beginner who only recently took a knife in his hand will be able to somehow shred food and lower them into a boiling broth. But shredding needs to be learned: to master the technique of the process and, gradually increasing the speed, to achieve real mastery.

• Rule 1 Take the knife in your working hand as follows: the thumb is located on the side along the handle, and the index finger is on it, so that its first or second phalanges are on the top of the blade. This position gives full control over the movements of the instrument.
• Rule 2 Do not lift the tip of the blade off the cutting board. While raising and lowering the handle evenly, make a movement along the cut product. When moving the knife, try to achieve the same pitch: it can be 5 mm (potato slices for soup), and the thickness of the sheet of paper (as when cutting carpaccio) - it all depends on the product and subsequent processing.
• Rule 3 Don't stress! Keep your hand relaxed, otherwise it will get tired very quickly. At the training stage, control the correct position of the hand and fingers, gradually they will become familiar. Start by cutting at a slow pace, and when you master the technique, pick up speed.

Each vegetable has its own way of slicing

In fact, there are not so many simple ways to cut, much less than products. Here are the main ones.

Straw. Used for slicing potatoes, carrots, beets and other raw vegetables before boiling or frying. Cut the potato into plates about 2-3 mm thick, put them on top of each other and chop them across with the same knife shift step - about 3 mm. Large root vegetables, cabbage and peppers are cut into strips about 5 cm long. For carrots, this can be 1.5 - 3 cm, depending on its size.

Blocks. In terms of shape and cutting technique, this is the same straw, but thicker. The length of the bars is up to 4 cm, the thickness is from 7 to 10 mm. Used for cooking first courses (cooking) and stewing.

Cubes. Cubes are obtained by cross-cutting straws or sticks. Large and medium are suitable for subsequent heat treatment. Cut into small cubes boiled vegetables for salads.

Circles and slices. These methods are good for cutting small, rounded root crops. If necessary, they are additionally “turned” (this can be done even when cleaning, using a special vegetable knife), giving them a cylindrical shape. The circles are cut quite thinly (within 2 mm) and used for frying, the slices can be thicker, especially if they are intended for soup.

Rings, half rings, cubes. Well, of course, we are talking about onions. It is not so easy to chop this capricious product.
The onion layers tend to slip out of the hands, the eyes water, so that the fingers continually fall under the knife.

The most common cutting method onion- half rings. With proper shredding, this is done completely safely. Cut the onion in half with a sharp knife. Holding the half with the bent fingers of the second hand, make the first cut. Change the position of the palm. Grab half of the bulb from above so that thumb held it on one side and the rest on the other. The knife moves inside this “arch” and sequentially cuts half-rings up to 2 mm thick.

To get cubes, cut 3 mm half rings, and then chop them across.

Very rarely, real onion rings are used - mainly for barbecue. Exists simple trick, which greatly simplifies such work - to deprive the bow of its spherical shape. To do this, cut a thin plate on the side. Put the onion on the resulting “bottom” and do whatever you want with it, that is, cut into layers of 1-2 mm, which you then disassemble into rings.

slicing tomatoes

The most popular cutting methods fruit vegetables- circles and slices for salads, cubes and straws for soups. However, tomatoes, with their juicy pulp and dense skin, require special treatment. Even with the most sharpened blade, with a conventional shredder, you run the risk of crushing the fruit and squeezing all the juice out of them, so take a special serrated knife. This tool is also recommended for slicing some fruits: lemons, oranges, peaches.

Japanese cutting

Japanese food pays great attention to the grinding of products. True, the main methods of cutting are the same: large cubes (Sainomegiri), and small ones (Mijingiri), straws (Sengiri). There are also techniques that are unusual for us.

Sasagaki - planing. Hold a carrot or burdock root in your non-working hand, slicing them like a pencil. This method is applicable to other roots, for example, horseradish, parsley, parsnips.

Katsura-muki - circular cutting. Used for daikon, carrots and other similarly shaped root crops. Take the knife in your working hand, clasping the upper part of the blade with your palm, with the blade along the side of the vegetable. Turn the daikon in a twisting motion, cutting thinly from the top. This is similar to how you would unwind a roll of paper, separating each next layer with a knife.

The circular cutting technique well demonstrates the need

In the process of preparing some dishes, cutting vegetables into cubes can take quite a long time. If you like salads, okroshka, borscht, vegetable stews, making preparations for the winter - think about buying a vegetable cutter. This device will do in a few minutes the work that would take an hour "in manual mode".

Photo: www.domitalia.ru

And if earlier only graters and food processors were sold (the first ones do not cut into cubes, and the second ones are quite expensive), now manufacturers offer different units that can cope with this task.

Method 1. Manual vegetable cutters with cubes

This method can rightly be put in the first place. They are easy to clean, quickly assembled and disassembled, have sharp blades, are safe to use and at the same time cut beautifully and accurately. The most famous and advertised are Nicer Dicer and Nicer Dicer Plus. Graters take up little space and are inexpensive. A regular Nicer Dicer can be purchased for as little as $10-$15.

Photo: www.amazon.com Nicer Dicer Plus

Moulinex produces manual vegetable cutters. The cost is 25-30 dollars.

Photo: ozon.ru Moulinex K10301

Another popular manual vegetable cutter is the Alligator (Sweden). People are satisfied with the quality, but the price of this device - $150-180 - is very high.

Photo: www.tidy-shop.ru Vegetable cutter Alligator-Lux

A manual vegetable cutter takes some getting used to. Do not immediately try the device on solid products(for example, carrots or raw beets), onions. Try chopping potatoes, cucumbers, or zucchini first. When you understand how best to put the product in a vegetable cutter, with what force to press, you can safely cut any vegetables into cubes. A really useful item for the kitchen.

Method 2. Diced food processors

Food processors are multifunctional appliances. In addition to cutting vegetables, they can - beat the dough, work with a blender, some models have the function of a meat grinder, juicer, etc.

Photo: komwel.ru Bosch MCM 5529

The disadvantage of food processors is that they take time to assemble the appliance - and after work, disassemble, wash and put it back in place. Sometimes it’s faster to do something with your hands than to pull out the unit. Another disadvantage is the high price.

Method 3. Meat grinders for dicing

The French brand Moulinex has released the first meat grinder with the ability to cut vegetables into cubes.

Photo: bt.rozetka.com.ua Meat grinder MOULINEX ME 4161

Model ME415 competes with Bosh harvesters! The price for it is much lower (120-150 dollars). She will chop meat much better than a blender in a combine. However, harvesters are more functional. For example, they can knead the dough or make a cocktail. This meat grinder has several more nozzles - graters and shredders for vegetables. According to reviews - raw vegetables the device perfectly cuts into cubes, boiled in it crumple.

Method 4. Blenders that allow you to cut into cubes

There is an undisputed leader on the market! The Philips HR 1659 and HR 1669 blenders are a novelty set to win the hearts of consumers. With it, you can make mashed potatoes, grate and chop vegetables, knead the dough and make a cocktail.

Photo: img06.wikimart.ru Philips HR 1659

Thanks to a huge number its functions can rightly be called a combine. At the same time, it takes up very little space. It is easy to use, there are no complicated fastening parts. Washes, according to reviews, is also easy. Cons: Lots of plastic parts that can break. There is only one dice rack included - additional items need to be purchased separately.
The cost of the device is 200-250 dollars.

Another dicing blender will be manufactured by VITEK. The cost of the device is 130-150 dollars. He cuts cubes very well too. The disadvantage is, again, the likelihood of breakage, this time the gearbox.

Photo: www.vitek.ru VT-3401

Method 5. Electric vegetable cutters

Some manufacturers have tried to create such units. However, they did not become popular. Firstly, they cannot be bought in a store, all sales were carried out through a TV store or the Internet. Secondly, the price of such a device was slightly lower than the price of a Mulinex meat grinder. The devices turned out to be unprofitable and have not yet earned the trust of customers. Perhaps in the future such vegetable cutters will be finalized?

Photo: dirox.ru Electric shredder Culinario Jet

Method 6. Special attachments for household appliances

Kenwood have chosen an unusual path. They made the MGX400 dicing attachment, which is suitable for meat grinders and combines of this brand. It is purchased by housewives who have Kenwood units in their arsenal.

Photo: www.kenwoodworld.com Meat grinder Kenwood MG517

As we can see, the market is only developing in this direction. However, the modern buyer already has plenty to choose from. What do you like more? Meat grinder, food processor, blender or special attachment? Maybe you will choose a mechanical grater? Your choice should depend on personal needs! The main thing is to use some rules when operating devices:

Cut soft foods first, such as cheese, eggs, and then hard ones.
- The meat can be slightly frozen. This will improve the quality of the cut.
- Be very careful with the grater! They are incredibly sharp, possible deep cuts. Never give graters to children.

Blocks

Perhaps the most popular cutting method. Suitable for almost all root vegetables and other hard vegetables, it will decorate soup, stew and salad. Vegetables are cut into plates (about 3-4 mm), the plates are laid wide on the board and cut vertically ( width also about 3-4 mm).

Cubes

The type of cut that is used mostly for complex salads type "Olivier" or vinaigrette. Cut the vegetables into cubes, and then, turning them horizontally, cut into cubes of the same size. By the way, kitchen machines do an excellent job with this type of cutting, for example Moulinex QA509D32.

Straw

"Salad" cutting option, which is mainly used for carrots, cabbage and onions. Vegetables are cut into thin slices, and then– on t thin straw. Please note that the first cut of cabbage and onions is made across the fruit.

Circles

A thin layer is cut off from potatoes and root crops to give them the shape of a cylinder, after which the vegetables are cut into circles. This type of cutting is suitable for stews, clear soups, as well as frying potatoes (the thickness of the circle should be no more than 2 mm).

Squares

The type of cut required for red cabbage when salting "by-Gurian". The head of cabbage is cut into 2 or 4 parts, after which each part is cut into square pieces.

Slices

Potato "rustic" - this is the most obvious example of a dish that requires cutting into slices. Once cut the vegetable in length into two parts, after which each half– two or three more parts. This type of cut is also used for salad tomatoes, but slices cut thinner than potatoes are more likely to be called “slices”.

Rings and half rings

A cut that is most commonly used for onions, including leeks. Onion cut across the axis into circles, then divided into rings. To get half rings, the rings are cut in half.

Planing

A quick cutting method for which a paring knife is used. Inward or outward, cut the vegetables into long spiral slices. So it's good to cut hard vegetables(carrot, radish at ) for salads or vegetables for sautéing.

notch cutting

Vegetable balls are cut out with special culinary spoons of various sizes. For this, a spoon is applied with a sharp edge. To vegetable and gradually with rotational movements deepen into a potato or root crop. This type of cutting is suitable for deep-fried vegetables, as well as for decorating dishes and children's food.

Shredding and cutting

For cooking sauerkraut the ingredients are finely chopped with a chop or a knife on a wooden board. This fast way handle a large number of products that release a lot of juice needed for sourdough cabbage.

Food can be the main desire of a person, his addiction, and even bad habit, but often not only the taste makes our hearts flutter in anticipation of gastronomic pleasure, but also the look of the very food that you really want to eat. One of the ways to aesthetically decorate dishes is correct cutting vegetables, and our conversation will go about it.

The main types of cutting vegetables

Slicing can be simple and curly, the first is the basic methods of daily preparation of vegetables for further preparation dishes, methods of cutting vegetables of a curly type have the only purpose - to decorate a festive meal.

Circles

Nothing complicated - by cutting off a small layer from potatoes and root crops to give them cylindrical shape. This cutting of vegetables is the easiest to perform. To do 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 through the vegetable to the end, 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 - 1-2 cm, large - more than 2 cm.

This cutting method requires a well-sharpened knife, the smaller the cubes, the sharper it should be. cutlery.

Consider dicing on the example of onions:

1. Cut the peeled onion into two halves lengthwise. Lay the half of the onion on the board, make deep vertical cuts.
2. Next, cut the onion in half horizontally.
3. Cut the head of the onion into cubes.

Straw

Slicing into strips occurs as follows: potatoes and root crops are cut into plates, and then they are cut into strips. If the recipe “talks” about chopping, then the product must be cut into thin and long strips, most often white cabbage is cut in this way.

Such types of cutting vegetables, such as straws and chopping, are performed using an ordinary knife, a hatchet, as well as a mandolin 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 making stuffing for pies, then thick straws are used for soups, stews, pilaf.

Blocks

To form sticks, vegetables are first cut into thick plates, then the knife is turned upside down and the plates are cut into sticks. Such forms of cutting vegetables require a well-sharpened knife and care. The bars 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? It's kind vegetable cutting, which can be carried out along, across, as well as diagonally. For example, potatoes and root crops are cut into 2 or 4 parts along, and then slices are made from each part.

They can be small, ranging in size from 1 to 4 millimeters, or medium, ranging in size from 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters. Small slices are usually used for dishes that involve boiling vegetables and then chopping or mashing them, while medium slices go to salads, stews and soups.

Half rings and rings

Half rings and rings are the types of cuts most characteristic of 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 the preparation of salads and snacks, 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 curly cutting methods

Beautiful cut vegetables are used to decorate the dish. Here is a simple example of figured cutting of carrots. 4-6 grooves must be cut along the entire length of the carrot, their depth should not exceed 4-5 millimeters.

Volumetric figures from vegetables can be obtained using carving devices, but with a little skill, you can make interesting volumetric decoration even if they are not available.

How to make a rose from a cucumber

Consider 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 won't need the slices with the skin on.