Slicing Basics: Keep the Thickness Even
The goal is to make each slice about the same thickness. When thick and thin slices go into the same pan or oven, the thin ones cook sooner while the thick ones may still be raw. For vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, consistent thickness helps the recipe’s stated cooking time work as intended.
Safely Slicing Round Vegetables
Trying to slice a round or oval vegetable, such as a carrot or potato, without stabilizing it can make it roll on the cutting board and cause the knife to slip. First cut a thin slice off one side to create a flat surface, then set the vegetable on that flat side. It will stay steady and can be sliced safely.
Before slicing a round vegetable, always flatten one side; this single step almost completely prevents cuts caused by a slipping knife.
Bias-Cut Slicing
Holding the knife at an angle instead of perpendicular to the vegetable creates a larger surface area than a straight slice of the same thickness. This helps the pieces cook faster and look more appealing on the plate. This technique is often used when preparing long vegetables such as carrots and celery for sautéing.
Slicing Meat Against the Grain
The fine lines visible on the surface of meat show the direction of the muscle fibers; this direction is called the grain. Slicing against the grain, perpendicular to the lines, shortens the long muscle fibers and makes the meat more tender to chew. Meat cut with the grain has longer, tougher fibers.
The same steak is easy to chew when cut against the grain and chewy when cut with it—the difference is the knife angle, not the cooking.
Chiffonade: Cut Leafy Herbs into Thin Strips
To cut broad-leaf herbs such as basil and mint into strips, stack the leaves from largest to smallest, roll them tightly like a cigar, then slice the roll crosswise into thin strips. As the slices open up, the leaves form fine ribbons. This technique is called a chiffonade.
Knife Angle and Slice Thickness
Holding the knife almost perpendicular to the cutting board produces thin, even slices; as you lower the angle, the slices become more slanted and thicker. The knuckles of your guiding hand determine how far back the knife moves each time: move your knuckles back a little for a thin slice and farther for a thicker one.
Pull or Push the Knife When Slicing?
For soft ingredients with thin skins, such as tomatoes, pressing the knife down while pulling it toward yourself produces a cleaner slice than sawing back and forth. A sawing motion crushes the soft flesh, while a single pull cuts through the skin on the first stroke.
Common Slicing Mistakes
One common mistake is crushing a soft vegetable or fruit by sawing back and forth; a single pulling motion is often enough. Another is trying to slice a round vegetable before flattening one side, which can lead to uneven slices and cuts from a slipping knife.