--- title: "Score: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "To 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." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/score" --- # Score To 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. Also called Scored, Scoring, Slash. To score means to cut shallow lines into the surface of food without cutting through it. The cuts are usually 2 to 6 mm (1/16 to 1/4 inch) deep, often in a crosshatch or a row of parallel lines. Cooks score meat, fish, poultry skin, vegetables and bread dough, each for a slightly different reason. ## How to do it 1. Chill the food first if it is soft or fatty. Cold fat and skin cut more cleanly. 2. Use a very sharp knife, a razor blade or a bread lame. 3. Cut shallow lines with the tip of the blade in a single smooth stroke. 4. For duck breast and pork belly, cut through the skin and fat but stop before the meat. 5. For fish, make three or four diagonal cuts through the skin, about 5 mm (1/4 inch) deep, on each side. 6. For a tomato you plan to peel, cut a shallow X in the base. ## Why it works * **Fat and skin:** the cuts let fat melt and run out, and stop the skin from shrinking and curling in the pan. You get a thin, crisp layer when you [sear](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/sear) it. * **Fish:** the cuts let heat reach the thick parts faster and stop the fillet from curling. * **Meat and vegetables:** the cuts give a [marinade](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/marinate) more surface to work on, though it still only goes a few millimeters in. * **Tomatoes:** the X gives the loose skin a place to start peeling, as for a [concassé](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/concasse). * **Bread:** the slash gives the loaf a weak point to expand during [oven spring](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/oven-spring), so it does not burst at random. ## Common mistakes * Cutting too deep into meat, so juices run out and the piece cooks unevenly. * Scoring with a dull knife, which drags and tears the skin. * Scoring bread timidly. A shallow, slow cut seals up. Cut quickly at an angle, about 6 mm (1/4 inch) deep. * Scoring pork rind unevenly, so parts stay chewy. ## In recipes "Score the skin", "slash the fish" and "make shallow cuts" all mean scoring. A potato cut into thin, deep slices that stay joined at the base is a [Hasselback](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hasselback) potato, not a scored one. ## Recipes that use this technique 10 recipes from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Irish-Soda-Bread.jpg)Low Fat Irish Soda Breadwww.skinnytaste.com · 55 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/low-fat-irish-soda-bread/) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2026/02/rye-bread.jpg)Rye Breadwww.onceuponachef.com · 60 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/rye-bread.html) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2025/09/Sourdough-Bread-37-scaled.jpg)Beginner Sourdough Bread Recipewww.onceuponachef.com · 100 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/sourdough-bread-recipe.html) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2023/11/baked-brie-1-1.jpg)Easy Baked Briewww.onceuponachef.com · 25 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/baked-brie.html) * [![](https://www.onceuponachef.com/images/2020/03/Crusty-Bread-scaled.jpg)Homemade Artisan Breadwww.onceuponachef.com · 40 min](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/crusty-artisan-bread.html) * [![](https://minimalistbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/How-To-Cut-a-Pomegranate-SQUARE.jpg)The BEST Way to Cut a Pomegranateminimalistbaker.com · 5 min](https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-cut-a-pomegranate/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Baked-Tostones-2.jpg)Baked Tostones (Green Plantains)www.skinnytaste.com · 30 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/baked-tostones-green-plantains/) * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Strawberry-Squares-1.jpg)Strawberry Squareswww.skinnytaste.com · 45 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/strawberry-squares/) * [![](https://minimalistbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Simple-Muesli-Bread-by-Minimalist-Baker-google.jpeg)7-Ingredient Muesli Breadminimalistbaker.com · 60 min](https://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-muesli-bread/) * [![](https://minimalistbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Easy-Whole-Grain-Vegan-Bread-SQUARE.jpg)The Easiest Whole Grain Seeded Breadminimalistbaker.com · 345 min](https://minimalistbaker.com/the-easiest-whole-grain-seeded-bread/) ## Related terms * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/concasse) * [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/hasselback) * [MarinateTo marinate is to soak food in a seasoned liquid of acid, oil, salt and aromatics before cooking. Here are safe times and why longer is not always better.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/marinate) * [SearSearing browns the surface of meat or fish in a very hot pan to build a deep, flavorful crust. It adds flavor but does not seal in juices.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/sear) * [Oven springOven spring is the fast rise a bread loaf makes in its first minutes in a hot oven. Good proofing, scoring and steam give a tall loaf with an open crumb.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/oven-spring) [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)