As an essential knife technique, it’s no surprise that learning how to cut in julienne can make your cooking life much easier. Not only does it help you avoid injuries when slicing and dicing, but it also enhances the aesthetic of your food and makes your cooking more even and thorough.
Choosing the Right Knife
When you’re ready to julienne your produce, it’s important to choose the right knife. This will ensure that your cut is as even as possible and that it cooks evenly too.
A chef’s knife is your best choice for chopping and slicing. Whether it’s for a salad, stir-fry or a sandwich, this versatile knife will give you the perfect cut every time.
For larger fruits and vegetables, a cleaver will work best. You can also use a paring knife for slicing or peeling smaller vegetables.
Once you have the right knife, practice using it properly. You want to hold the blade firmly and not let your fingers touch it while you cut. This can cause pressure points and lead to inaccurate cuts.
Peeling the Vegetables
If you’re a chef or culinary school student, you probably know how to make julienne cuts. They’re a basic technique used in a variety of recipes.
When cutting in julienne, it’s important to peel the vegetable first. This ensures that all the matchsticks are uniform.
This is a great way to save money on ingredients, too, as it eliminates the need for buying multiple vegetables.
For example, if you’re making a stir-fry, it’s more efficient to use thin slices of carrots, celery, and cucumbers than to use a large slab of them.
You can also use this method to quickly cut up vegetables for stock and soups to ensure that all the flavors are distributed throughout the liquid.
Another common julienne cut is the brunoise. It’s the finest dice derived from the julienne cut and is often used for stocks or soups.
Stacking the Vegetables
Stacking your vegetables before cutting them in julienne makes it easy to get uniform strips. This shortcut also reduces waste by using fewer scraps of produce.
Cut the vegetable lengthwise into rectangular slices that are about 3mm thick or less, then stack the slices on top of each other. Then slice lengthwise again into 1/16- to 1/8-inch wide strips that are uniform in thickness.
Julienned vegetables are ideal for use in salads and side dishes as they add crunch and texture without overwhelming the dish. They can also be used to marinate or cook quickly and evenly.
Cutting the Vegetables
Whether you’re cooking for friends or family, learning to cut vegetables into julienne is an important skill. It can help you prepare stir-fries, sautes and other dishes that benefit from a smooth texture and quick cooking time.
Traditionally, the julienne cut requires squareing off produce and cutting it uniformly into long, thin strips. For shorter vegetables such as cucumbers and carrots, take a shortcut by making diagonal cuts on one side.
After that, stack the slices over one another and cut them lengthwise into thin strips. The ideal thickness range is between 1/16- and 1/8-inch.
Using this technique, you’ll be able to get beautifully shaped, uniformly thick strips of julienned vegetables in no time! This is especially handy if you don’t have access to a food processor or mandolin.