Just like Batman and Robin, wood cutting boards and knives won’t go without each other. You won’t use a knife without a cutting board, and that same cutting board won’t find as many uses without a knife. Let’s look below at more details regarding that aspect of culinary arts about cutting food!
When speaking with any chef, they will refer to some terms regarding how to cut food before cooking it. It is good to learn a little more about this lexicon, and how to become skilled at it; it will only make the food you cook tastier! Here are a few knife cuts commonly used when cooking dishes and a brief description for each of them:
Bâtonnet: Little sticks measuring ½”x ½” x 2½”-3”.
Allumette: This is the French word for matchstick. Little sticks measuring ¼” x ¼” x 2½”.
Julienne: Little sticks measuring ⅛”x ⅛” x 2½”.
Fine julienne: Even smaller sticks 1/16” x 1/16” x 2½”.
Small – medium – large dice: As the name says, food cut in cubes. Large cubes should be ¾”x ¾ ”x ¾”, medium ½”x ½” x ½” and small ¼” x ¼” x ¼”.
Brunoise and Fine brunoise: Even smaller cubes. Brunoise is food cut in cubes of ⅛”x ⅛” x ⅛”, and fine brunoise in the smallest cubes ever, 1/16” x 1/16” x 1/16”. The easiest way to make brunoise and fine brunoise is to cut food in julienne or fine julienne first, and then in these little cubes the size you want.
Obviously, for aesthetical reasons. When you have company for dinner, taking the time to cut your food in fancy cuts shows your guests you care for them enough to take the time to do things the right way. When making your favorite recipe, of course you want it to look as good as it tastes!
Not only well cut food will allow nice visual presentation, it will also ensure that cooking is uniform. As a matter of fact, when trying to cook any food cut in pieces of different sizes, chances are smaller pieces will be overcooked while bigger pieces will still be raw. Cooking everything the same size allows a more even cooking.
Needless to say, practicing these techniques will require that you perform cutting board maintenance once in a while. And when doing your food prep, you may need more than one wood cutting board to help you do it like a pro. We, at Cutting Boards USA, are proud to offer you one of the best selections of maple and walnut cutting boards available on the market today. Order yours today!
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