Mixing Folding Stirring

February 1, 2025

Hello Friends,

CUTTING usually requires a sharp knife and a cutting board; there are a variety of gadgets on the market which will do various types of cutting. Using a knife and cutting board, one hand holds the knife tip on the board; the other hand moves the blade up and down cutting through the food.

CHOP means to cut into smaller pieces. If a recipe does not instruct you to cut a certain size then it is left up to you to decide which size you would like the best. This depends mostly on what recipe you are preparing. When preparing to cook potatoes for mashed potatoes, the size is usually much larger than for soups and stews. In recipes like these, bite size is usually the preference.

CUBE means to cut into squares about ¾ to 1 inch in size. This size is considered to be the choice for soups and stews. It is “bite size” or more convenient for placing in the mouth without having to cut each piece.

DICE means to cut in smaller pieces than cubes; about ¼ to ½ inch in size. I use this size when cutting celery and onions to make stuffing and things like casseroles or salads. This size allows the vegetables to cook quicker and the flavors to blend better in salads.

MINCE is finer than chopping. When I think about mincing, I think of garlic I do this with a garlic pres but you can also do it on a cutting board with a knife. It takes a little longer to keep chopping until it is small enough to call it “minced”. Some recipes will instruct you to also mince onion, parsley and other herbs. When minced, these ingredients add much flavor to the recipes.

GRINDING means to put food through chopper having two or three blades. Use blade with smaller holes to grind food finer; one with larger holes for coarse grinding. The things I usually grind are meats, nuts and vegetables. I use ground nuts a lot in cookies and other pastries. Any time I make sandwich spreads, I will grind all of them in my grinder.

GRATE means to tear off coarse to fine particles of food with a hand grater or mechanical device. This is how I prepare fresh carrots when making my carrot cake or to sometimes to add into slaw. I sometimes will grate apples to add to bread or recipes which I do not want the chunks in.

SLIVER means to cut or split in long thin strips with knife and cutting board. Many recipes call for slivered almonds. Although you can purchase almonds already in “slivers” I cut my own because I always keep whole almonds in stock.

SHREAD means to cut or tear in long narrow pieces’ usually suggested coarsely shredded or finely shredded. I always shred my cabbage when making coleslaw; the long pieces are just the right size and the cabbage is able to absorb the other flavors in the slaw. This is also a great way to prepare potatoes when making hash browns.

JULIENNE means to cut potatoes and other vegetables into match like sticks; I usually say about 1 ½ to 2 inches long and from 1/8 to ¼ on sides. This is a very popular size to use on appetizer trays. It is a great size serving as a “finger food”.

CARROT AND RAISIN SALAD

Moisten shredded cabbage with a little French dressing. Toss carrots, raisins and oranges together; mix in mayonnaise. Pile of mounds of shredded cabbage on plates. Top cabbage with mounds of carrot mixture. Garnish each with chopped peanuts.

Your friend, Frances