Dice

To dice means to cut food into small cubes of the same size. It is more exact than chopping, where pieces only need to be roughly the same size. Even cubes cook at the same rate, look neat, and give each spoonful the same mix of ingredients.

How to do it

1. Square off the vegetable by cutting a thin slice from each rounded side, so it sits flat.
2. Cut it into planks as thick as the dice you want.
3. Stack the planks and cut them into sticks of the same width. For a small dice, these are batonnet sticks.
4. Line up the sticks and cut across them at the same width.

For an onion, cut it in half through the root, peel it, and lay it flat. Make thin cuts from the stem end toward the root without cutting through the root. Make one or two horizontal cuts toward the root, then slice across. The root holds the layers together until the last cut.

How to tell it is done

Classic dice sizes:

Cut	Size
Large dice	2 cm (3/4 inch)
Medium dice	1.2 cm (1/2 inch)
Small dice, or macédoine	6 mm (1/4 inch)
Brunoise	3 mm (1/8 inch)

Bigger pieces suit long-cooked stews and roasts. Smaller pieces suit sauces, salsas and quick sautés. A brunoise is the smallest.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the squaring step. Round vegetables roll, which is unsafe and gives uneven pieces.
• Cutting the planks thinner than the sticks, so you get flat tiles instead of cubes.
• Holding the food with flat fingers. Curl your fingertips under and let the knife rest against your knuckles.
• Dicing an onion with a dull knife, which crushes it and makes your eyes water more.

In recipes

"Diced onion" with no size given usually means a medium dice. "Finely diced" means small dice or brunoise. A mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery is usually diced to match the cooking time of the dish.