Depending on what dishes and preparations, there are different cuts of vegetables. To cut vegetables well, knives must be very sharp. All the cuts that follow have their origin in French cuisine.
Types of vegetable cuts.
The "Ciseler" cut is when the vegetable is chopped into bulbs, such as onions and garlic, into small pieces. To make this cut, you have to cut the bulb in half, place it upside down and make fine cuts vertically and horizontally.
The cut into thin slices is called "émincer", typical when cooking onions, leeks or mushrooms.
One of the most popular cuts is the "juliana or julienne" cut, it consists of thin but long cuts, such as an onion, a leek, a lettuce. As a result of this style, if it is chopped, the "brunoise" cut is achieved.
If herbs such as mint or spearmint are used, the julienne cut would be called "chiffonade", and the one corresponding to the brunoise would be the "hacher".
The "gardener" cut is when potatoes, carrots or celery are cut into bastions. Once this cut is made by cutting them into cubes, it would be a "macedoine" style. This same cut, with a tomato, is called "concasse«.
Finally, the mirepoix cut is an irregular style of vegetables used when cooking broths and stews.
What is the purpose of each cut?
Vegetable cuts have several purposes;
- Reduce cooking. Large pieces take much longer to cook.
- Get different results. The shape of the vegetable is essential to achieve different cooking, textures, point, etc.
- aesthetic purpose. The visual factor also counts, the fact that it is attractive to the eye makes the dish more appetizing.
