How To Cut Carrots Like a Pro: 4 Basic Cuts
Let's take a look at some of the most common ways that recipes ask us to cut, slice, and dice this orange vegetable into bite-sized pieces.
Carrots are a kitchen workhorse. Like onions, carrots are one of the most commonly used ingredients in savory recipes — especially as far as vegetables are concerned. They go in our weekday lunch salads and our slow-cooked weekend stews. We eat them raw with dip, roast them to tender perfection, or quickly sauté them for dinner. Really, is there anything the mighty carrot can’t do? After peeling your carrots, you’ll need to know the best way to cut them. Here’s how to cut carrots four different ways for all your cooking ventures.
What You’ll Need
- A vegetable peeler: Peeling carrots ensures that any dirt and debris doesn’t make its way into your dish.
- A sharp knife: Helps make clean cuts and prevents accidents while chopping.
- A cutting board: Protects your knife blade from becoming dull and keeps the carrots steady.
Types of Cuts for Carrots
Most of the time, our home-cooked meals do not depend upon a perfect half-inch dice or wispy julienne cuts. Even so, it’s good to know these terms and what they mean. Be sure to secure your cutting board and sharpen your knife before trying these methods at home.
- Julienne (a.k.a. matchsticks): Lengths of carrot roughly the same size and shape as matchsticks. Aim for 1- to 2-inch pieces that are 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch thick.
- Batonnet: Carrot sticks that are about 2 inches long and 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch thick.
- Baton (a.k.a. standard lunch-box carrot sticks): Carrot sticks that are 2 to 3 inches long and 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch thick. This isn’t an official restaurant cut, but useful for home cooks like us!
- Brunoise: Tiny cubes cut from julienne sticks that are 1/8 x 1/8 x 1/8 inches.
- Small dice: Small cubes cut from batonnet sticks that are 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/4 inches.
- Medium dice: Medium cubes cut from baton sticks that are 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 inches.
- Large dice: Large cubes that are roughly 3/4 x 3/4 x 3/4 inches.
How To Cut Carrots: 4 Basic Cuts
Let's take a look at some of the most common ways that recipes ask us to cut, slice, and dice this orange vegetable into bite-sized pieces.
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- Carrots !
Equipment
- Vegetable peeler
- Sharp chef's knife
- Cutting board
Instructions
Peel the carrots: If the skin looks dry or thick, peel it off. If the skin looks thin and pretty, leave it on.
Cut the carrot into a few big pieces: Trim off the top of the carrot where the green stems attach. Then cut the carrot into 2 to 4 equal-sized pieces that are 2 to 3 inches long, depending on the size of the carrot and the size of the pieces you're comfortable working with.
Baton Cuts: Cut the carrot into sticks of whatever thickness you want — see the vocab list above for reference. For perfectly square sticks, trim the rounded parts off of each side to square the edges before cutting the sticks.
Diced Carrots: Once you've cut the carrot into batons, cut them across into equal-sized diced cuts.
Julienne (Matchstick) Cuts: Cut a thin slice from one side of the carrot and set the carrot on this side — this "bottom" will hold the carrot steady while you slice. Then cut the length of the carrot into thin slices 1/8-inch thick. (If your slices are a bit thicker, I won't tell.) Stack all the slices on top of each other, then cut through the layers to create matchsticks.
Brunoise Carrots: Once you've cut the carrot into matchsticks, cut them across into equal-sized diced cuts, 1/8 inch on all sides.
Recipe Notes
For perfectly straight edges, trim away the rounded parts of the carrot to square the edges before you begin cutting the batons or matchsticks.
This post has been updated — first published September 2013.