---
title: "Tourné: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Tourné 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."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tourne"
---

# Tourné

Tourné 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.

Also called Tourne, Turned vegetables, Turned potatoes.

Tourné is a French knife cut that shapes vegetables into small barrels, wider in the middle and tapered at both ends. The classic shape has seven even sides and is about 5 cm (2 inches) long. The word means "turned", because you turn the vegetable in your hand as you cut. It is used for potatoes, carrots, turnips and zucchini (courgette in the UK).

## How to do it

1. Peel the vegetable and cut it into pieces about 5 cm (2 inches) long and 2 to 2.5 cm (3/4 to 1 inch) thick. Cut large potatoes into quarters lengthwise first.
2. Hold a piece between the thumb and fingers of your guiding hand.
3. With a small curved tourné knife, also called a bird's beak knife, or a [paring knife](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/paring-knife), cut from the top to the bottom in a curved stroke, like peeling an apple.
4. Turn the piece slightly and make the next curved cut next to the first.
5. Keep turning and cutting until you have seven even sides that meet at a point at each end.
6. Keep the cut pieces in cold water if they are potatoes, so they do not brown.

## Why it works

Every piece has the same size and shape, so a pan of them cooks at the same rate. The rounded shape has no sharp corners to break off or burn. In classic French cooking it also shows careful work on the plate.

## How to use it

* Boil or steam turned potatoes and finish them in butter and parsley.
* [Glaze](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/glaze) turned carrots and turnips with butter, a little sugar and stock until shiny.
* [Roast](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roast) turned potatoes around a joint of meat.

## Common mistakes

* Starting with pieces of different sizes. The finished shapes will differ too.
* Making flat, straight cuts. Each side should curve.
* Pressing toward your thumb with a long knife. Use a short blade and control each stroke.
* Throwing away the trimmings. You can lose a lot of the vegetable, so use the offcuts in mash, soup or stock.

## In recipes

"Turned potatoes" and "tournéed carrots" mean this barrel shape. Modern recipes often skip it and use whole baby vegetables or simple chunks, which cook evenly with much less waste. A plain stick of the same length is a [batonnet](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/batonnet).

## Related terms

* [Paring knifeA paring knife is a small knife with an 8 to 10 cm blade for peeling, trimming, coring and other detailed work. Here is how to use it safely.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/paring-knife)
* [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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/trim)
* [GlazeA glaze is a thin, shiny coating brushed or poured on food, from sugar icing on cakes to jam on tarts and sticky sauces on meat. Here is how to make one.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/glaze)
* [RoastRoasting cooks meat or vegetables uncovered in a hot oven, so dry heat browns the outside and concentrates flavor while the inside cooks through.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roast)
* [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)

[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)