Knife skills and preparation

The cuts, from brunoise to chiffonade, and the ways to prepare meat, fish and vegetables before they are cooked.

BardBarding is wrapping lean meat or poultry in thin sheets of fat, such as bacon or fatback, so the surface stays moist while it roasts.
BatonnetBatonnet is a classic knife cut that turns vegetables into even sticks about 6 mm thick, used for crudités and fries and as the first step to a small dice.
Bias cutA bias cut is a slice made at an angle, usually around 45 degrees, to give long oval pieces that cook fast and look good in stir-fries and salads.
BrunoiseBrunoise is the smallest classic dice, with cubes about 3 mm on each side, cut from a julienne and used in sauces, garnishes and fine fillings.
ButterflyTo butterfly is to slice a thick piece of meat, fish or shrimp almost in half and open it like a book, so it is thinner and cooks fast and evenly.
ChiffonadeChiffonade is a knife technique for cutting basil and other leafy herbs or greens into thin ribbons by stacking the leaves, rolling them and slicing.
ChopTo chop is to cut food into small pieces of roughly the same size, without the exact shape of a dice. Recipes say roughly, coarsely or finely chopped.
ConcasséConcassé is tomato that has been peeled, seeded and cut into small, even dice, ready for sauces, salsas and garnishes with no skin or watery seeds.
CoreTo core is to cut out the tough center of a fruit or vegetable, such as the seeds of an apple, the stem of a tomato or the heart of a cabbage.
CrushTo crush is to break food apart with pressure instead of a clean cut, as with garlic under a knife blade or spices in a mortar, to release more flavor.
CubeTo cube is to cut food into even blocks, usually 1.5 to 2.5 cm on each side, bigger than a dice. It is the usual cut for stew meat, kebabs and croutons.
DeboneTo debone is to remove the bones from meat, poultry or fish before cooking, which makes it faster to cook, easier to stuff and simpler to carve and eat.
DeveinTo devein shrimp is to cut along the back and pull out the dark intestinal tract, which can be gritty and looks unappealing in the cooked dish.
DiceTo dice is to cut food into small, even cubes. Large, medium and small dice have set sizes, so everything in the pan cooks at the same rate.
FilletA fillet is a boneless piece of fish or meat, and to fillet is to cut that piece away from the bones. Here is how to fillet a round fish cleanly.
French trimFrench trimming is scraping the meat and fat off the end of a rib bone so it stands clean, as on a rack of lamb, for a neat look and easy carving.
GrateTo grate is to rub food against a grater to turn it into fine shreds or a powder, as with cheese, carrots, ginger, garlic, nutmeg or citrus zest.
HasselbackHasselback is a way of slicing a potato thinly but not all the way through, so it fans open in the oven with crisp edges and a soft, fluffy middle.
HullTo hull a strawberry is to remove its green leafy cap and the hard white core under it. The word also means taking the outer husk off seeds and grains.
JulienneJulienne is a knife cut that turns vegetables into thin, even matchsticks about 3 mm thick and 5 cm long, for salads, stir-fries and garnishes.
LardLarding is threading thin strips of pork fat through a lean cut of meat with a special needle, so it stays moist during a long roast or braise.
MacédoineMacédoine is a small, even dice of about 6 mm, and also a mix of fruit or vegetables cut that way and served as a salad, side dish or garnish.
MinceTo mince is to cut food into the smallest pieces you can, finer than chopped, so garlic, ginger, shallots or herbs melt into a dish with no chunks.
PaysannePaysanne is a rustic knife cut of thin, flat pieces about 1 cm across and 3 mm thick, keeping the shape of the vegetable. It suits soups that cook fast.
PeelTo peel is to remove the skin or rind from fruit and vegetables with a peeler, a knife, your fingers or a quick blanch, keeping as much flesh as you can.
PitTo pit is to take the hard stone out of fruit such as cherries, olives, peaches, plums, dates and avocados, using a knife, a pitter or your fingers.
Roll cutA roll cut is an angled cut where you turn a long vegetable a quarter turn between slices, giving chunky wedges with many faces for stir-fries and stews.
RondelleA rondelle is a round slice cut straight across a carrot, cucumber, zucchini or other long, round vegetable, usually 3 to 6 mm thick and all the same.
ScoreTo score is to make shallow cuts in the surface of food, such as duck skin, fish, pork rind or bread dough, to help it cook evenly, crisp and look neat.
SeedTo seed is to remove the seeds and pith from fruit and vegetables such as chilies, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and pomegranates.
SegmentA citrus segment is one of the natural wedges inside an orange, lemon or grapefruit. To segment is to separate them, with or without their thin skin.
ShredTo shred is to cut, grate or pull food into long, thin strips, as with cabbage for slaw, cheese on a coarse grater or slow-cooked meat pulled with forks.
ShuckTo shuck is to remove a shell, husk or pod, most often prying open oysters and clams, stripping the husks from corn, or popping peas and beans from pods.
SkinTo skin is to remove the skin from fish, poultry, nuts or peppers, by cutting, pulling, rubbing or charring, depending on what the food is and the dish.
SliceTo slice is to cut food into flat pieces of even thickness. Good slicing is about a sharp knife, a safe grip and, for meat, cutting across the grain.
SmashTo smash is to flatten or break food with a sharp blow or firm press, as with garlic under a knife, cucumbers for salad, boiled potatoes or burger patties.
SpatchcockTo spatchcock a bird is to cut out its backbone and press it flat, so a whole chicken or turkey roasts or grills faster and more evenly, with crisp skin.
SpiralizeTo spiralize is to cut vegetables or fruit into long, curly strands with a spiral slicer, often to make zucchini noodles or sweet potato spirals.
SupremeTo supreme citrus is to cut out its flesh in clean wedges with no peel, pith or membrane. A supreme is also a chicken breast with the wing bone on.
TenderizeTo tenderize meat is to make it less tough before cooking, by pounding it thin, scoring it, salting it or marinating it in acid or fruit enzymes.
TournéTourné is a classic French knife cut that trims potatoes and root vegetables into small, seven-sided barrel shapes about 5 cm long, so they cook evenly.
TrimTo trim is to cut away the parts of an ingredient you do not want to cook or eat, such as excess fat, silverskin, tough stems, root ends or bruised spots.
TrussTo truss is to tie a bird or a roast with kitchen twine into a compact, even shape, so it holds together, cooks more evenly and is easy to turn and carve.
ZestZest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, full of fragrant oils. To zest a lemon is to scrape off that layer and leave the bitter pith.