--- title: "Dice: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "To 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." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/dice" --- # Dice To 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. Also called Diced, Dicing. To dice means to cut food into small cubes of the same size. It is more exact than [chopping](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/chop), 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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mirepoix) of onion, carrot and celery is usually diced to match the cooking time of the dish. ## Recipes that use this technique 40 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tuna-Tartare-with-Cucumber-7-1.jpg)Tuna Tartare Recipewww.skinnytaste.com · 10 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/tuna-tartare-with-cucumber-and-avocado/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Tofu-Poke-Bowl-8.jpg)Tofu Poke Bowlwww.skinnytaste.com · 50 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/tofu-poke-bowl/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Fall-Chopped-Salad-with-Chicken-7.jpg)Fall Kale Salad with Chickenwww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/kale-salad-with-chicken/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Stuffed-Butternut-Squash-with-Wild-Rice-_-Sausage-7.jpg)Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice and Sausagewww.skinnytaste.com · 75 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/stuffed-butternut-squash/) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2015/07/Green-Pea-Guacamole.jpeg)Green Pea Guacamolewww.onceuponachef.com](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/green-pea-guacamole.html) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2020/08/Chicken-Salad-scaled.jpg)Classic Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almondswww.onceuponachef.com · 50 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/chicken-salad-with-grapes-and-almonds.html) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Greek-Tofu-Bowl-9.jpg)Greek Tofu Bowlswww.skinnytaste.com · 60 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/greek-tofu-bowl/) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2025/08/Chicken-Katsu-Bowls-2.jpg)Chicken Katsu Bowlswww.onceuponachef.com · 45 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/crispy-chicken-katsu-bowls-with-sriracha-mayo.html) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BLT-Lettuce-Wraps-1-2.jpg)BLT Lettuce Wrapswww.skinnytaste.com · 10 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/blt-lettuce-wraps/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/watermelon-martinis.jpg)Watermelon Martiniwww.skinnytaste.com · 15 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/watermelon-martinis/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Swiss-Chard-Frittata-8.jpg)Swiss Chard Frittatawww.skinnytaste.com · 40 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/light-swiss-chard-frittata/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Rainbow-Potato-Salad-2.jpg)Rainbow Potato Saladwww.skinnytaste.com · 25 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/rainbow-potato-salad/) ## Related terms * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/brunoise) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/macedoine) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/batonnet) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/cube) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/chop) * [MirepoixMirepoix is diced onion, carrot and celery, usually two parts onion to one each of the others. It is the flavor base of French stocks, soups and braises.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mirepoix) [More in knife skills and preparation](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/knife-skills)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)