Basic Cuts and Shapes

1. It ensures even cooking.
2. It enhances the appearance of the product.

Figure 7.7 shows common shapes, with their names and dimensions. The following terms describe other cutting techniques:

• Chop: to cut into irregularly shaped pieces.
• Concasser (con-cass-say): to chop coarsely.
• Mince: to chop into very fine pieces.
• Emincer (em-man-say): to cut into very thin slices (does not mean “to mince”).
• Shred: to cut into thin strips, either with the coarse blade of a grater (manual or power) or with a chef’s knife.