Knife Work
Fine Brunoise
Cut vegetables into small even cubes of about three millimetres. Everything cooks at the same speed.
Key Points
Cut sheets, then sticks, then cubes. Keep the knife tip on the board and pivot. Aim for three millimetres on every side.
Common Failures
Rushing the stick stage gives cubes of two different sizes. A dull knife crushes the vegetable and the cubes lose their edges.
Do this
Cut the vegetable into flat sheets first. Stack the sheets and cut them into sticks. Turn the sticks and cut across into cubes.
Why it works
Three cuts in three directions give one size. Trying to dice in one pass always leaves wedges and slivers.
When to skip it
Skip this for a rustic stew. Larger rough pieces give a better bite and take far less time.
