Home » Cutting vegetables and meats

La découpe des fruits et légumes, viandes et poissons, un art à apprendre !

Avant de se lancer  dans l’apprentissage de la découpe, il  faut approcher l’utilité de la découpe et son environnement.

Pourquoi  découpe t’on les légumes, les fruits, les viandes et poissons ? :

  • La découpe améliore l’aspect visuel des plats. Nous savons tous qu’un plat interpelle la vue, l’odorat et le gout.
  • La découpe améliore la cuisson en présentant des produits homogènes. Ilest connu que plus la taille est épaisse plus le temps de cuisson est long.
  • L’expression des saveurs. Selon  le chercheur Raphaël Haumont « Plus un aliment est coupé finement, plus la surface d’interaction avec les récepteurs du palais est élevée. C’est pourquoi, les saveurs seront plus riches en bouche.»
  • La facilitation de la dégustation. Il semble plus agréable de déguster à la cuillère une brunoise de légumes que des rondelles ou des batonnets.
  • Jeu de textures. La découpe permet de prioriser un produit sur un autre sans rien occulter. Un tartare au saumon mettra en avant le saumon plutôt des morceaux imposants de pomme Granny Smith.

Vous souhaitez apprendre à découper la viande, les poissons, les légumes et fruits comme un chef cuisinier ? L’art de la découpe en cuisine s’apprend. Il existe une grande variété de coupes et de techniques à apprendre (émincé, brunoise…etc.). Voici quelques conseils pour manier vos couteaux de cuisine et réussir votre découpe et recette comme un professionnel.

How to cut without hurting yourself?

It is important to know how to place your fingers during cutting. To begin with, you should keep your thumb behind your index finger. Here is a link to an explanatory video.

Link to an explanatory video: https://www.minutefacile.com/cuisine/astuces-cuisine/1480-comment-ne-pas-se-blesser-en-coupant-des-legumes/

It is recommended to use a large kitchen knife for clean cutting of vegetables and meat. Here are the steps to follow to cut your food in the kitchen without hurting yourself:

  • Grasp the knife by folding your fingers inwards,
  • Place your fingers on the food you wish to cut (fruit, vegetable, etc).
  • Never put your fingers in the path of the blade.
  • Cut by pushing the blade of the kitchen knife downwards at regular intervals.
  • Cut at a medium speed, depending on your skill level.
    eviter-de-se-blesse-la-securite-de-decope

    Cutting methods and techniques

    To begin with, you need the right cutting equipment. In particular, you need a good cutting board to avoid scratching the table or work surface. Then, the following steps must be followed:

    • Stabilise the food with your fingers, placing your thumb on one part and your remaining fingers on the other.
    • Slide the knife back and forth over the food to be cut.

    If the food to be cut is hard, a paring knife should be used and if the food is soft, a butter knife can be used. Here are the different methods of cutting in the kitchen:

     

    Slicing technique

    La technique de découpe en émincé est idéale pour préparer une bonne salade de concombres, de tomate.

    Elle est aussi généralement utilisée pour découper les courgettes.

    Cette technique de découpe est assez simple, il suffit de trancher l’aliment en fines rondelles. Pour réaliser cette technique, il faut être muni d’un bon couteau de cuisine, puis découper délicatement pour éviter de se blesser.

    découpe-emincé
    découpe-brunoise

    Brunoise cutting technique

     

    La technique de coupe en brunoise est également très utilisée en cuisine. Elle demande une certaine habileté.

    Cette technique consiste à découper ses fruits ou légumes en petits dés. Pour se faire, le plus simple est de commencer par découper l’aliment en bandes de taille uniforme, puis de les découper en bâtonnets, enfin, il suffit de les couper en petits dés à la verticale.

    Julienne cutting technique

     

     

    The julienne technique requires a lot of precision. To make a successful julienne cut, first wash and peel the vegetables, then cut them into very fine pieces (about 5 cm long, 2 mm thick). Next, you need to put the vegetables through a mandolin to create thin strips of about 2 mm thick. Finally, cut into sticks.

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    découpe-tagliatelle

    Tagliatelle cutting technique

    The tagliatelle cutting technique consists of creating long, thin ribbons of vegetables. This technique is ideal for decorating plates and gourmet dishes. The vegetable garnish will be sublimated, such as courgettes, radishes, carrots or aubergines. It is advisable to use a mandolin, which makes the task easier and gives a cleaner result. It is also possible to use a peeler, to do this simply peel the vegetable lengthways and then cut 1 to 2 cm thick with a knife.

    Chiffonade cutting technique

    La technique de coupe en chiffonnade est surtout utilisée pour couper les salades, les épinards ou les choux. Pour réussir cette coupe:

    • commencez par retirer les feuilles dures et jaunies,
    • ensuite emboiter les feuilles pour former un tas,
    • then roll the leaves,
    • Finally, cut widthways.

     

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    découpe-en-quartier

    Quartering technique

    The technique of quartering consists of a rough cut of vegetables or fruit. It is used in the kitchen to prepare jam, compote, etc. This quick and uniform cutting of kitchen ingredients is also used to accompany a roasted vegetable or meat dish. For example, a medium-sized apple can be cut into 8 wedges and 1 chopped onion into 4 wedges to garnish a good culinary meal.

    Cutting technique in Vichy

     

    The Vichy cutting technique is used in the kitchen to slice vegetables such as :

    • cucumbers,
    • courgette,
    • mushrooms, etc.

    It is therefore sufficient to cut the food into thin slices of just 1 to 2 millimetres in thickness.

    decoupe-vichy

    Methods of cutting fish and meat

     

    The techniques and methods of cutting fish and meat differ depending on the species of animal. Some meats and fish require the intervention of a professional chef. Here are some tips on how to cut some meats and fish:

    decoupe-de-la-volaille

    Cutting of raw meat

     

    Chef's tip: place your meat in the freezer for a few minutes to make it easier to cut.

    There are different cuts of meat:

    In cutlets :

    Veal, poultry and pork can all be cut into cutlets. To cut meat into cutlets, first place your hand over the meat and then cut horizontally.

    In slices :

    Slicing is a classic way of cooking, simply cut the meat into large pieces according to the desired thickness.

    In thin slices :

    This cutting technique is the most suitable for preparing carpaccio, the knife used for this cut is the Santoku, whose honeycombed blade easily detaches from the meat.

    Fish cutting

    Cutting of smoked eel

    • Place the smoked eel on a cutting board.
    • Starting from the tail, cut a first segment of about 10 cm.
    • Get rid of the skin.

    The first method is to cut along the edge.

    • Start with a vertical slice.
    • Remove the entire top section.
    • Turn the remaining section over and repeat the process.

    The second method is to cut horizontal slices.

    • Cut the top part to the edge.
    • Turn the last piece over and repeat the process.
    • Arrange the fish fillets on serving dishes.
    • Toast, lemon and butter are served alongside.

    Cutting of sea bass, whole, hot or cold      

    • Starting with the tail, cut the fish into horizontal pieces about 10 cm long and of similar thickness.
    • Cut the fillet perpendicular to the middle edge towards the head.
    • Get rid of the middle edge.
    • Cut the second half in half.
    • As you cut the pieces, place them on the tray.
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    couteaux

    The characteristics of the knife

    Any knife has a structure and at least eight sections, each with its own set of characteristics. For example, the point is distinct from the tip:

    • The end is used to make small cuts and holes.
    • The tip is often used to cut soft fruit or small objects and is used to slice gently.

    Because it is heavy and close to the hand, the heel is used for hard dishes.

    How to keep your kitchen knives in good condition?

    Regular maintenance of your kitchen knives is essential if you want to enjoy them for a long time. Sharpening and sharpening containers are part of kitchen knife maintenance.

    L’Affûtage, est un processus consistant à frotter l’acier d’un couteau sur une pierre à aiguiser. Le couteau redevient aussi aiguisé qu’au début. La vitesse d’exécution et la quantité de matière éliminée tout au long de l’opération sont déterminées par la granularité de la pierre à aiguiser.

    Follow these tips to sharpen your knife:

    • Make sure that the surface of the whetstone is always moist. If necessary, add a little water.
    • Start with a coarse-grained stone and gradually move to a dusting stone.
    • Use the sharpener to keep the blade sharp between uses, but not to restore a blade that has been significantly damaged.
    • If you are right-handed, hold the weapon in your left hand; if you are left-handed, hold it in your right hand. Raise the blade of the knife above the handle.
    • After sharpening, always wipe the knife blade to remove the filings.
    • To achieve an even edge, sharpen each side of the sword in the same way and with the same pressure.