How to Cut Vegetables Uniformly

Julienne vegetables to get long, uniform strips.

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Cutting vegetables into pieces of uniform size serves two main roles in food preparation: the pieces will cook evenly and be done at the same time if they are close to the same size, and the vegetables will look more appealing in the dish. Use two main techniques to cut vegetables into uniform cubes or strips.

Related Searches:Difficulty:ModerateInstructions Things You'll NeedVegetable peelerSharp chef's knifeCutting boardSuggest EditsDice Vegetables1

Peel the vegetable with a vegetable peeler if you do not want the skin on. Removing the skin can help the inside pieces look more like the outside ones for increased uniformity.

2

Cut a round vegetable on half, from end to end, and place the cut side down on the cutting board. This helps keep the vegetable in place instead of tipping on a curved edge.

3

Make a series of parallel cuts in the vegetable, spacing your cuts as large as you want the diced vegetable pieces to be.

4

Place the palm of your hand on top of the slices to hold them together as you slice the vegetable once or twice horizontally, making cuts parallel to the cutting board. Space these cuts as far apart from each other as they were for your first set of cuts.

5

Turn the vegetable on the cutting board, still holding all of the strips together, so your first set of cuts run lengthwise. Cut the vegetable with another set of parallel cuts along the last axis, cutting the strips into cubes.

6

Discard any pieces that are smaller than half of a cube. Alternately, save these for soups or other dishes that do not require a uniform cut.

Julienne Vegetables1

Cut the vegetable into chunks of the maximum length you want your julienne pieces to be. For example, with a carrot, you might cut it into 3-inch chunks if you want your julienne pieces to be no more than 3 inches. This makes your pieces a manageable size so you can get a precise cut.

2

Cut the vegetable in half and place the cut side down.

3

Slice the vegetable along its length into pieces 1/8 inch wide.

4

Turn a set of three slices on its side so the slices are stacked with the cuts running parallel to the cutting board.

5

Slice the stack with cuts 1/8 inch apart to make long strips, each measuring 3 inches long and 1/8 inch in each of the other directions.

ReferencesCook's Illustrated: How to Cut VegetablesJoy of Cooking; Irma S. RombauerPhoto Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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