Watch your fingers!!! Knife Cuts

I didn't get the opportunity to blog last week...I think it was because I was too busy taking care of a sick household, studying for 2 exams, and preparing my speech. Last week we were taught the proper knife cuts for everyday and professional use. Looking over the lesson, I truly thought it was going to be easy as pie, but boy was I wrong!! It is extremely hard. I watched my Chef Instructor show us how to do each of the cuts and as soon as we were able to try on our own I froze up. I caught myself maybe caring too much...The good news is we had tostada night the other day and I was able to practice more and get more comfortable cutting the right way. All I needed to do was build my confidence and I do believe the more I practice, the better I will get.

 

Knife Cuts

Below are each of the measurements (and pronounciation) of professional knife cuts:

Cutting Sticks by 2 in.

-Batonnet (batenay) 1/4 x 1/4 x 2                - Fine Julienne 1/16 x 1/16 x 2

-Juilenne (julianne) 1/8 x 1/8 x 2                

Dice Cuts

-Brunoise (brunwa) 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8                     -Medium Dice 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2

-Small Dice 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 (Batonnet diced)      -Large Dice 3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4

-Paysanne (pieson) 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/8 (medium dice, thin)



 

Round Cuts

-Tourner (toornay) football shape-7 equal sides (stand for 7 cooking methods)

-Parisiennes (pareesions) use melon ball cutter on fruits or veggies

 

I have decided to just upload a photo of the rules we go by. Its like a hard copy of what our cuts should look like that we get to keep on hand in our knife case to measure if needed.

 

Well here are my FIRST classical knife cuts!!

Cutting Tips

• Never fully lift your knife off of your cutting board.
• Place a damp towel under your cutting board to prevent it from slipping.
• Make a 'claw' with your hand, thumb tucked back. Middle finger knuckle should stick out the furthest..use this knuckle as a guide when you are cutting.

The best news of the day is that I DID NOT cut myself. Some other students got ahead of themselves and did, so I guess I can consider myself lucky! I really hope to practice more and more and more to where cutting just comes as a second nature to me.

Quote of the Day

"Good cooks never lack good friends."