Have you ever sliced your finger while cooking? Does your kitchen always look like a tornado hit after you are done? Today we will talk about different tips to keep you safe and organized in the kitchen and have you cooking like a professional.
There are four main types of cutting techniques: Slice, dice, julienne, and mince
How to Slice:
First, make sure that you have a good grip on the knife. Then, with the tip of the knife kept on the cutting board using a rocking and pushing motion you will inch closer as you slice the vegetable. It is important to always keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board.
How to Dice:
- Dicing is when you cut something into square pieces or cubes.
- Dicing an onion is one of the most difficult vegetables to dice. First remove the stem of the onion and cut in half lengthwise. Peel off the skin and place the flat side of the onion down on your cutting board. With your palm on the top of the onion, cut two or three horizontal lines into the onion without going all the way through. Then, make vertical cuts down the onion starting near the root. Finally, using the rocking motion, start cutting.
How to Julienne:
- Julienne refers to cutting a vegetable in long, thin, and equal strips.
- Different vegetables to julienne are peppers, carrots, and beets. To julienne a pepper, you want to cut off the four walls of the pepper. Then one piece of the wall at a time, make thin and even cuts of each section.
How to Mince:
- Mince is when you cut something that is already small even smaller!
- You can mince garlic, basil, and cilantro. For garlic, break apart all the different cloves, place your clove of garlic on your cutting board and with the widest part of your knife, carefully place over the garlic and give it a tap or a pound until the clove is slightly crushed. With this trick, the peel will come right off with no issues. Start to chop the garlic and push it into a pile. Rock the knife back and forth over the garlic until it’s the size that you want.
How to keep your kitchen clean while cooking:
- Clean off all your counters
- Wash the dishes whenever you are done with them. It is very important to not let the dirty dishes accumulate in the sink!
- When you are done cooking, wash all pots, pans, and utensils before you sit down to have dinner. Doing this will make sure that after your meal you’ll have much less to do in the kitchen.
Want to practice these new skills? Try this recipe!
Garlic and Herb Lentils
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
-
- 1 cup lentils
- 1 teaspoon oil (canola, olive, or vegetable)
- 1/2 cup onion, diced (1/2 medium onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
- Rinse and sort lentils.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in lentils. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Cook for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
- Stir in lemon juice.
What new cooking skill do you want to try? Let us know in the comments!
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