Have you ever gone to a fancy restaurant and taken the time to actually look at what has gone into your meal? The actual work? Have you noticed the even cuts of the vegetables? The precision? It’s true skill, let me tell you!
One of my assignments last week was to practice specific knife cuts and present them proper to my instructor. With my stiff, arthritic hands and a minor dog bite, this was a BIATCH to complete. In no way did I match the precision of the cuts in the above picture and I now have a ton of compost with all my scraps. Chefs make these cuts instinctually, precisely and with lightning speed. I butchered half a bunch of carrots just trying to get a half-way decent brunoise!
I found a new appreciation for how the consistency of your cuts seriously affect the outcome of your dish. From even cooking to just how beautiful the finished product looks is largely based on the first slice and then the next. Each one leads to a specific cut. There are 19 classical knife cuts in a professional kitchen. NINETEEN! Thankfully, I only had to do seven in this assignment…
- Brunoise
- Small dice
- Medium dice
- Large dice
- Fine julienne
- Julienne
- Batonnet
,
I am hoping I look back on this picture one day and laugh. Right now, not so much.
While I spent a good chunk of the evening rubbing BioFreeze on my knuckles after this, it was worth it. Understanding the real work that goes in to those stunning Micheline star dishes was pretty profound to me. Anyone can slap-chop a bunch of onions and celery, toss them in a pot and make something delicious. Taking the time to make sure all the bits and pieces to a dish are perfectly cut, all even, equal stars to the show. THAT is skill and far too often overlooked.
The next time you head to that fancy fusion place I challenge you to pause and really see what has been put on your plate. Make note of the skill and precision, or lack thereof. Maybe it will make you taste things a little differently, a little more slowly and appreciatively. I hope so.
