Cooking Basics For Dummies
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A recipe that calls for you to prepare vegetables (or meat) might ask for you to julienne or cube them. Don’t let the French accent scare you: Julienned vegetables are as simple as they are attractive, and if you can julienne vegetables, cubing is a breeze.

Julienning vegetables

To julienne a vegetable, first trim the vegetable, like a radish or carrot, so it’s flat on all sides. Slice it lengthwise into 1⁄8-inch thick pieces. Stack the pieces, and slice them into strips of the same width. The figure shows an illustration of this technique.
[Credit: Illustration by Elizabeth Kurtzman] Illustration by Elizabeth Kurtzman

Cubing (or dicing) vegetables

Think of a potato. Trim all the sides until it’s flat all around. Cutting lengthwise, slice off 1/2 -inch-thick pieces (or whatever thickness you desire). Stack all or some of the flat pieces and cut them vertically into even strips. Cut them crosswise into even cubes.

Dicing is the same as cubing, except that your pieces are smaller: 1⁄8 to 1/4 inch, usually.

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Marie Rama has worked as a professional pastry chef and recipe developer for numerous food companies and associations. She is a regular guest-chef on hundreds of TV and radio shows in the U.S. and Canada.

John Mariani is the author of several of the most highly regarded books on food in America today. He is currently food and travel correspondent for Esquire and restaurant columnist for Forbes magazine.

Marie Rama has worked as a professional pastry chef and recipe developer for numerous food companies and associations. She is a regular guest-chef on hundreds of TV and radio shows in the U.S. and Canada.

John Mariani is the author of several of the most highly regarded books on food in America today. He is currently food and travel correspondent for Esquire and restaurant columnist for Forbes magazine.

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