Knife Skills: Different Types of Cuts

There are many different types of cuts and while you may not use all of them, it’s important that
you know and understand them. Having the knife skills and know-how to cut a brunoise,
matchstick or batonnet will not only help you improve your knife skills, but also improve the
visual appeal and professionalism of the food you cook.

Here are the different types of cuts that anyone

interested in the culinary arts should know:

 Julienne
 Bruinoise
 Small Dice
 Medium Dice
 Large Dice
 The Baton
 The Batonnet
 Paysanne
 Chiffonade
If you’re like most people, you will likely chop your items as fast as possible without knowing or
understanding why it’s important to cut properly. The first reason is uniformity. Take a carrot,
for instance. It goes from very fat to very thin and most people will use a coin cut to slice it. This
leaves very large and very small pieces in relation to itself. Why is this important? Well, large
pieces take longer to cook (Especially when it comes to carrots). Uniformity in cutting ensures
that you have even, predictable cooking times. Nobody wants carrots that are mushy and hard at
the same time!

The second reason is aesthetics. Properly cut items look professional and have that visual appeal.
Much of your appetite and the appetite of others stems from the visual appeal of your dish. The
presentation is of the utmost importance and a large percent of the satisfaction that people get
from food comes from their eyes. People eat with their eyes, and it’s important to never forget
that! 

Let’s get started on squaring off your carrot:

Start by peeling the carrot, removing the ends. Then, slice the carrot into segmented lengths of
4cm (2in.). Taking one of the segments, you will slice one end to produce a flat surface. This
surface will then be laid flat, and you will continue the process for remaining sides. Your carrot
segment will come out looking like a 3-dimensional rectangle. Now that you’ve squared off your
carrot, you’re ready to start producing the type of cut you’re after.

1. The Julienne Cut

The julienne is referred to as the allumette when

used on potatoes, and sometimes also called the
"matchstick cut" (which is the translation of
"allumette" from French). The first reference to
Julienne occurs in François Massialot's Le
Cuisinier Royal in 1722. It is a type of cut that is
stick-shaped and very thin. Cut from a squared
off item, you will then slice that item length-
wise at a thickness of 1-2mm (1/16 in) leaving
you with thin rectangular cuts. Then, take the
thin slices and apply the same technique. You
will end up with Julienne (Or matchstick) cuts!

Dimensions: 2mm X 2mm X 4cm (1/16in X 1/16in X 2in)

Fine julienne: the fine julienne measures approximately 1/16 inch × 1/16 inch × 1–2 inches
(1.5mm × 1.5mm × 3–5 cm), and is the starting point for the fine brunoise cut.
 2. The Brunoise Dice

The Brunoise dice is the smallest dice you can have. While you can mince to a smaller
dimension, this method refers to the smallest uniform size available for dicing. This method is
simple and only adds an additional step to the Julienne method. Take your julienne cuts and
bunch them up with your hand. Then cut the julienne into equally shaped dice. That’s it! While
simple, it does take a long time to master. Get crackin’! Great for Soups
Dimensions: 2mm X 2mm X 2mm (1/16 in X 1/16 in X 1/16 in)
Fine brunoise; sides measuring approximately 1/16 inch (1.5mm).

3. The Small Dice

The small dice are similar to the brunoise, but it is slightly larger. Start by following the steps to
Julienne your item. You want to slice your squared-off item at a thickness of 3mm. Now it’s only
a matter of finishing off the dice as you would the Brunoise!
Dimensions: 3mm X 3mm X 3mm (1/8 in X 1/8 in X 1/8 in)

4. The Medium Dice

The medium dice type of cuts are derived from the Batonnet and the only added step is slicing
the batonnet to produce cubes. This size is called a Medium Dice.

Dimensions: 6mm X 6mm X 6mm (1/4 in X 1/4 in X 1/4 in)

5. The Large Dice

The large dice types of cuts are primarily used for stews, long-cooking dishes and for mirepoix
in stocks. The large dice is important, because it is relatively quick, has a great imposing nature
and looks professional. When cutting a large dice, you will tend to have a higher waste when
trying to get nicely cut pieces using the method describing how to square off your item.
Remember when doing any cutting or dicing to use the method best suited for your dish.
Dimensions: 12mm X 12mm X 12mm (1/2 in X 1/2 in X 1/2 in).
 Pont-neuf

It used for fried potatoes ("thick cut" or "steak cut"

chips), pont-neuf measures from 1/3 inch ×
1/3 inch × 2.5 inches (8.5mm × 8.5mm × 6–
6.5 cm) to 3/4 inch × 3/4 inch × 3 inches (19mm ×
19mm × 7.5 cm).

6. The Baton

The baton type of cuts is the largest stick-cut you can cut. It is used for crudites and for
presentation purposes. While not used as much as the rest, it is the foundation for the more
common Large Dice.
Dimensions: 12mm X 12mm X 6cm (1/2 in X 1/2 in X 2-1/2 in)

7. The Batonnet

Translated literally from French, batonnet means "little stick". The batonnet is used when serving a
larger portion of an item such as a vegetable side, to gain height in your dish, or to provide imposing
linear appeal to an otherwise linear-absent dish.
Dimensions: 6mm X 6mm X 6cm (1/4 in X 1/4 in X 2 in)
 8. The Paysanne Cut

Sometimes you prefer a slimmer, flat, square item.

This is called the Paysanne. This is achieved by
creating your desired stick-cut size, then slicing
thinly to produce a thin square. Typically used for
larger cuts, this method can be applied to smaller
cuts and dices as well.
Dimensions: 12mm X 12mm X 3mm (1/2 in X 1/2
in X 1/8 in)

9. The Chiffonade

The chiffonade types of cuts are used when

slicing very thin items such as herbs or leafy
vegetables such as spinach. Cutting en
chiffonade is a really simple process. Start by
stacking the items you are looking to slice.
Then roll up the items, producing a cigar-
shaped roll. Once it’s rolled, start slicing to
produce a nice chiffonade suitable for
garnishing and other purposes.

Summary
Strip cuts Cube cuts
 Pont-neuf  Large dice (Carré)
 Batonnet.  Medium dice
 Julienne; (Parmentier)
 Fine julienne  Small dice
(Macédoine)
Brunoise
Other cuts 
 Fine brunoise

 Paysanne
 Lozenge; diamond shape, ½ inch × ½ inch × 1/8 inch (1 cm × 1 cm × 3mm)
 Fermière; cut lengthwise and then sliced to desired thickness, 1/8–½ inch (3mm to 1 cm)
 Rondelle; cut to desired thickness, 1/8–½ inch (3mm to 1 cm)
 Tourné; 2 inches (5 cm) long with seven faces usually with a bulge in the center portion
 Mirepoix; 5–7mm in length