6 Ways to Cut Vegetables and Cook Like a Chef!
by Karine Lemoine
Sommaire
In the kitchen, we learn something every day! What a pleasure to put yourself in the shoes of a chef to develop new ideas andMake new dishes.
Passionate cooks, beginners or amateurs, you will be able to put on your chef's apron to improve yourcooking techniques.We are going to talk to you about the work of preparing vegetables and their processing.
We share you7 different ways to cut vegetables like a chef.
What is the point of cutting vegetables differently? What tools are you going to need to help you?
We explain everything you need to know in detail about cutting vegetables.
7 different ways to cut vegetables like a chef
Is it important to cut your vegetables?
Healthy foods, vegetables accompany us in all our dishes. They are given numerous nutritional properties that are beneficial to our body. In addition to their nutritional benefits, vegetables are a real source of inspiration because of their shape and colors that brighten up our plates.
Chefs are original in preparing exceptionally beautiful dishes for us and giving way to their imagination by working with vegetables.
Obviously,The eyes and the mind love food before it comes near our mouth to taste it. So yesCutting vegetables has a real impacton our kitchen!
First of all, cutting vegetables will bringfantasy and originalitywhen the plates are being served.
But not only that, because a perfect cut of vegetables will allow you to rMake different dishes and types of cooking.
The different types of cooking will bring us a variety of flavors.Do you already smell the scents in the kitchen? The cutout shape hasa real influence on the taste results of your dish.
The most important thing in cutting vegetables is to make sure that they arecut uniformlyin order to ensure homogeneous cooking.
The essential tools for cutting vegetables
Cutting vegetables is not a simple job but it is not that complicated. The more we practice the more we improve our techniques. In any case, mastering cutting techniques as you go will make yousave time and simplify your work by kitchen.
The preparation phase in the kitchen can become very laborious when there is a lack of organization and techniques and it can discourage more than one!
In addition to organization and mastery, most often there may be a lack of basic cooking materials or a poor condition of the equipment.
To cut vegetables, you will needThe basic tools for chopping, slicing, carving, peeling. Let's take a look at the essential tools you might need.
1. The cutting board
The work board is a must have in the kitchen!
Boards are most often rectangular on the market and of various sizes. The presence of a cutting board benefits you in several ways.
You can find cutting boards that have dimensions as small as 15×10 cm and as big as 50×80 cm.The small, medium and large option allows you to adapt to different jobs.Having a few of them in different sizes is always handy.
The materials for the cutting board can be made ofwood, bamboo, plastic, steel, steel, silicone or even glass.It depends on the choice of comfort you want and also on hygiene.
A wooden board is more malleable and does not risk anything. In the long run, food can soak into the wood and requires more careful washing.
A glass board will be more delicate during handling with the risk of breaking, however, it will be more hygienic.
One thing to check if you're going for a plastic cutting board, make sure it's made of aBPA-free material(Bisphenol A, a chemical component used in the manufacture of plastic and harmful to health).
A cutting board gives youa solid base for cutting, which makes it easier for the knife to function properly and protects the top of your worktop from scratches caused by the knife.
The rather soft cutting boards also increase the life of your knives because they don't hurt the edge of the knife like a kitchen top can.
Cleaning your kitchen rack is also easier when most of the work is done on a cutting board.
2. A good chef's knife
The essential basic tool for cutting vegetables is a good knife. The right knife isa knife of the right size for Vegetable cuttingwith a good grip and above all a knife that cuts!
When the knife is not cutting, it is a real obstacle course to cut vegetables. A good, sharp knife will help you get a cleaner cut and you will definitely save time in preparation.
3. The mandoline
The mandoline is a kitchen utensilVery handy for slicing vegetablesand thus obtain vegetables cut evenly. It is an important variable in cooking to make uniform slices to obtain homogeneous cooking. The mandoline has a surface equipped with a blade for slicing and cutting vegetables.
Then with a back and forth movement, you slice. On some mandolins you can adjust the slice thickness you want.Other mandolins have several slicing plates depending on the thickness and also the shape you want. The mandolin can make wavy cuts.
How do you sharpen your knife?
We sharpen a knife with a sharpener. It is a 30 cm steel rod with a handle. This tool makes the blade sharp.
All you have to do is hold the gun fairly far away from you and at a slight angle. Hold the knife with your other hand firmly and rub the knife along the length of the shotgun. Slide the blade up to the tip. Repeat the operation about ten times, alternating the two sides of the knife.
Chef knives are available in various lengths and blade widths.
The different knife sizes correspond to a particular use in the kitchen. You have the vegetable knife or the small paring knife about ten centimeters that will be practical for carving, peeling, emptying, this is the one we are interested in. Then you have theThe slicing knife for cutting meat or fish and many others reserved for other culinary preparations. When it comes to cutting vegetables, a large knife with a wide blade will be very practical.
Chef knives are made from a variety of materials such as; stainless steel, ceramic, and laminated blades, or carbon steel. The latter is considered to be the most durable as well as the sharpest knife.
As far as vegetable peeling is concerned, a vegetable peeler is really very practical when you do not master peeling with a paring knife. And as the name suggests, it allows you to peel finely and spoil the edible flesh of the vegetable by peeling coarsely. It is a real time-saver also when you have a lot of vegetables to prepare.
7 different ways to cut vegetables like a chef
There are different ways to cut vegetables and in all the cuisines of the world, you will find vegetables in all their forms and it's a breeze to know. Here are 7 different ways to cut vegetables:
1. Vegetable brunoise
Brunoise is a delicate cut since you have to cut vegetables into very fine cuts, cubes of about 2-3 mm in size, all very uniform. It takes a bit of practice to master this cutting technique. Take your time. This requires careful work to avoid cutting yourself.
After peeling your vegetables, remove both ends of the inedible vegetable. Cut the vegetable into slices with a thickness of 2-3 mm. Then cut the slices lengthwise into sticks, always with a thickness of 2-3 mm in width. Then repeat the operation in the other direction to obtain small 2-3mm dice. Peppers, onions, carrots, turnips, and celery are vegetables that are generally used for brunoise.
Brunoise will be ideal for preparing a delicious ratatouille or for decorating a tagliatelle dish and bringing freshness and color.
2. Vegetables cut into mirepoix
The vegetable cubes in Mirepoix are thicker than those in Brunoise, about 1cm.
There's nothing like a good fried chicken with hash browns cut in mirepoix.Some potatoes, carrots, turnips topped with parsley, a real delight!
3. Vegetables cut in Matignon
Matignon-sized vegetable cubes are smaller than those of Brunoise, between 0.5 and 1mm.
A small, colorful side dish cut in Matignon that can bring pep to your dish is the small raw mixture of celery, green pepper, bell pepper, onion with a small touch of lime, happiness on the plate!
4. Vegetable julienne
This is a technique used to cut vegetables into thin strips.
Carrots, leeks, and celery are the most common vegetables to julienne for carrot julienne and celery remoulade.
After peeling your vegetables, cut 2mm slices then once the slice is flat, cut 2mm sticks that you will cut to a length of 4-5cm long. For leeks, simply cut 4-5 cm sections directly and open each section in half. Finally, make the size of the sticks.
Serve your fish with vegetables julienned in foil, it is ideal for a tasty dish, vegetables cooked very quickly and a colorful dish.
5. Vegetable chiffonnade
Spinach, chard, sorrel and other leafy vegetables are cut using the chiffonade technique. The vegetable can be pre-cut into long strips with this slicing technique if necessary. Then stack the leaves and roll them on themselves.Once the leaves are tight, this allows you to slice them perpendicular to the roll and get minced vegetables.
You can also use this technique to cut parsley, it's perfect.
6. Vegetable sticks
We immediately think of fries cut into matches.
It's so easy to make your own fries using the right cut.
After peeling the potatoes, cut them into slices lengthwise. You can help yourself with the mandolin. The slice should be quite thick. Then once you have obtained the slices, you cut them into the shape of sticks of the same width.
A delicious variation of fries ispotato friessoft. Sweet potatoes are less tender than potatoes when cut, but the result on the plate is superb!
7. Spiral cut vegetables
Spiral cutting is an original way to present and enjoy vegetables.
It is used to make vegetable spaghetti, a good tip to make people love vegetables!
The cutting utensil used is the vegetable cutter or the “spiralizer”. It is an essential tool for fans of healthy cooking because it allows you to replace foods rich in carbohydrates and refined foods such as pasta with a vegetable equivalent.
Our favorite utensil
The WellTobe Vegetable Slicer Spiralizer
Its different blades allow different cuts for more creativity in the kitchen.
It is a larger budget than small repair spiralizers, often made of plastic, but there is no comparison, it is much more comfortable to use. It's a really great product!
The vegetables used are zucchini, cucumber, carrots or potatoes.
This vegetable cutting will allow you a multitude of creations and you will make beautiful gourmet plates!
Also to be read:
The 10 Best Electric Onion Choppers
Whatever dish you are going to create, knowing and mastering vegetable cuts will be able to help you structure your preparations. With these 7 ways to cut vegetables, you will be able to develop your imagination even more.With its different ways of cutting vegetables, you can rediscover the classics of French cuisine. The famous Macedonia cut in mirepoix is so delicious homemade! Equipping yourself with good tools in the kitchen will allow you to make your preparations more easily and save time in the kitchen.Leave room for your imagination and your knives!
Do not hesitate to leave a comment and share your preparations!
Bon appetit!
Image source: Freepik
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