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Types of Knife Cuts

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Woman cutting a tomato

Slice

Cut into flat, thin and even pieces. A common example of sliced food is the slices of onions and tomatoes on a sandwich. To slice food, hold the food with your fingers curled into a claw to avoid injuries. Place the knife on the edge of the food while ensuring that the blade is not too close to your fingers. Slice the blade through the food item, while keeping the tip of the knife on the cutting board for more control.

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Chopping a potato

Chop

Cut into small pieces without a specific shape. When chopping food, you will first slice it. Then stack the slices together, curl your fingers into a claw, and cut through the pile, which will create smaller, chopped pieces. 

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Dicing potato with knife

Dice

Cut into even sized cubes. An example of diced foods is canned diced peaches. To dice food, you must first cut the food into strips. Then, stack the strips and cut through the strips to create a cube shape.  

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mincing herbs

Mince

Cut into very small pieces that are not one specific shape. Many spices, such as garlic, are minced to allow the flavor to mix into all parts of the dish. To mince food, first thinly slice the food. Then, stack the strips and use very small rocking motion to cut the slices into tiny pieces.

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