Dicing Vegetables

Cubed or diced vegetables may be used as the foundation of braises and casseroles, as a flavoring mixture (mirepoix), raw or cooked in vegetable salads or soups, or as a garnish for consommé (brunoise, below).

1. Peel the vegetable. Square off the sides, reserving trimmings for soups or purées. Slice the vegetable vertically, cutting thickly for large dice, thinly for small dice.

   

2. Stack the slices and cut even strips of uniform thickness.

   

3. Gather the strips together into a pile and slice them evenly crosswise to produce dice of the required size.