Culinary Terms Test: Knife Cuts & Vegetable Preparation Vocabulary

📚 Quick Study Guide: Culinary Terms Essentials

• 📏 Batonnet: A stick cut, typically 1/4" x 1/4" x 2-2.5". Think thick-cut fries.
• ✨ Julienne: A matchstick cut, finer than batonnet, usually 1/8" x 1/8" x 2".
• 🤏 Brunoise: A very small dice, derived from a julienne, measuring 1/8" x 1/8" x 1/8".
• 🧊 Small Dice: Cubes measuring 1/4" x 1/4" x 1/4".
• 📦 Medium Dice: Cubes measuring 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2".
• 🧱 Large Dice (Carré): Cubes measuring 3/4" x 3/4" x 3/4".
• 📐 Paysanne: Thin, flat, square or round cuts, typically 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/8".
• ⭕ Rondelle: Round or oval slices, common for carrots or cucumbers.
• 🥬 Chiffonade: A technique for cutting leafy greens (like basil or spinach) into long, thin ribbons.
• 🔪 Mince: To chop food into very small, irregular pieces, finer than dicing.
• 🏈 Tourné: A classic French cut, shaping vegetables (like potatoes or carrots) into a seven-sided, football-like barrel shape.
• 🍅 Concassé: Roughly chopped, peeled, and seeded tomatoes.
• 🧅 Mirepoix: A foundational aromatic mixture, typically 2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, and 1 part celery, often used as a base for stocks, soups, and sauces.
• 💧 Sweat: To cook vegetables gently in a small amount of fat over low heat until they soften and release moisture, without browning.
• ♨️ Blanch: Briefly cooking food in boiling water, then rapidly cooling it in ice water (shocking) to stop the cooking process, often to preserve color or loosen skins.

📝 Practice Quiz: Test Your Culinary Vocabulary

1. What is the term for a matchstick-cut vegetable, typically 1/8" x 1/8" x 2"?
   A) Batonnet
   B) Julienne
   C) Brunoise
   D) Paysanne
2. Which knife cut is characterized by 1/4" x 1/4" x 1/4" cubes?
   A) Small Dice
   B) Medium Dice
   C) Large Dice
   D) Batonnet
3. What is the culinary term for roughly chopped, peeled, and seeded tomatoes?
   A) Chiffonade
   B) Concassé
   C) Mince
   D) Mirepoix
4. The technique of cooking vegetables gently in fat until translucent, without browning, is known as:
   A) Blanching
   B) Sautéing
   C) Sweating
   D) Roasting
5. What is the classic ratio of onions, carrots, and celery in a traditional mirepoix?
   A) 1:1:1
   B) 2:1:1
   C) 1:2:1
   D) 2:2:1
6. A chiffonade cut is specifically used for which type of ingredient?
   A) Root vegetables
   B) Leafy greens
   C) Meats
   D) Fruits
7. Which knife cut aims for a seven-sided, football-like shape?
   A) Rondelle
   B) Paysanne
   C) Tourné
   D) Oblique