Terms and Techniques.

Learn the lingo—from breading to braising—and you'll be following recipes like a pro in no time.

Dice

People often confuse dicing with chopping. When a recipe calls for something diced it means that the ingredient should be cut into 1/4-inch cubes. This doesn't mean you need to keep a ruler by your side every time you hit the kitchen. As long as pieces are cut uniformly within this general specification, your recipes will remain right on track.

The term chopped indicates that the shape of your ingredient has less bearing on the end result of your dish. When chopping, it is still a good idea to keep pieces uniform in size so that they cook at the same rate, but squaring off the edges is not necessary. For large pieces, recipes usually use the term roughly chopped (which indicates an inch or more in size). Finely chopped is the term used for extra small randomly shaped pieces, usually less than 1/4-inch in size.
Julienne: The laymen's term for julienne is strips. Only when a recipe calls for julienne cut, it's typically implying that the cut is a little more precise. True julienne strips are between approximately 1 1/2-2 inches in length and between 1/8 and 1/16-inch in width. To create a julienne, simply square off your ingredient into 1 1/2-2-inch long rectangles. Cut these pieces lengthwise into slabs that can then be stacked and cut lengthwise again into sticks. Julienne pieces are great lightly steamed or served raw in slaws or salads where their delicate shapes can be appreciated.