How to Cut Julienne Vegetables

Julienne vegetables can serve as a garnish.

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One of the most telling differences between a dish prepared by a professional and the same dish prepared by a home cook is in the display of knife skills. Trained cooks spend countless hours preparing vegetables, learning to cut them into consistent shapes and sizes. Vegetables that are cut into uniform pieces not only look better, they also cook more evenly. For any cook who wants to improve, it's worth buying a quality knife and learning how to dice vegetables accurately to make julienne strips.

Related Searches:Difficulty:ModerateInstructions Things You'll NeedMixed vegetablesPeeler or paring knifeCutting boardChef's knife or kitchen knifeSuggest Edits1

Rinse and peel your vegetables, using a peeler or paring knife. Place them near your cutting board.

2

Trim a small slice from each side of your first vegetable, giving it four flat sides and a square cross-section.

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Cut the vegetable into sections 2 1/2 inches long. Take a section, and cut it lengthwise into flat strips that are 1/8 inch thick.

4

Stack your vegetable slices on top of each other, and square the edges, restoring the rectangular section to its original dimensions. Next, slice the stack vertically again at 1/8-inch intervals, making julienne strips 2 1/2 inches long and 1/8 inch square.

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Repeat for the remaining vegetables.

Tips & Warnings

Potatoes are a good vegetable to practice on since they are firm but not as hard as others. Carrots, turnips and rutabagas also work well, though they're somewhat harder to cut. Some carrots have a tendency to warp as they're cut, which make them difficult to turn into a proper julienne.

A mandoline, which is a flat slicer with blades built into it, is a very convenient way to cut julienne. Gripping your vegetable with the hand guard, slide it across the cutting blades to quickly cut it into long strips. These can be cut down with a knife to the traditional 2 1/2 inch length.

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ReferencesProfessional Cooking; Wayne GisslenGood Housekeeping: Knife Techniques: How to Julienne VegetablesCook's Illustrated: How to Cut VegetablesPhoto Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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