I was thinking, it'd be kind of neat if I could do a post about knife cuts. I know a decent amount about them anyhow. So here's my thought, ill take some pictures of me doing cuts and walk you through it.
Lets just start off nice and easy. You know the basic shape of a french fry right? Well its official fancy French name is a Battonet cut. The dimensions for it are 1/4" x 1/4" x 2 or 2-1/2". But personally I think 2-1/2 inches is way too short for a french fry, so feel free to make your cuts longer for whatever food your using it for.
By the way, while writing this blog I found a neat website showing some equipment and talking about knife cuts.
http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/worldtastes02Seg1.pdf
Well since I mentioned potatoes, let's just keep with that. Potatoes are functional for many foods, including stews, soups, and well just about anything.
You're going to want to set up your cutting board before you get started. The general rule I've heard is, you want your board to be as big if not bigger then the knife your using when it is laying diagonally. To keep your board secure on your counter try placing a wet paper towel or regular towel underneath it. Make sure to have the bottom of your board touching the end of your counter, this way you won't have to lean over when you cut.
After your board is all set up you're going to want to wash your potatoes really well. I'd suggest using Russet potatoes for french fries because they have more starch and less moisture, which makes them good for baking.
When you've gotten all the dirt of your potato, go ahead and peel it. It doesn't matter much what kind of peeler you use. At home I use one with a spinning blade but the one I use at school doesn't swivel at all. If this doesn't make sense, just go ahead and bet the one you have is fine.
The next step is one I had trouble with at the beginning. A seasoned chef will make it look easy to square of a potato, but it takes a little getting used to. My number one mistake was not keeping my knife straight as I cut. If you're new to using a chef knife it helps to keep your back straight as you cut and look over the food your cutting as you cut to make sure your knife is where you want it to be.
The goal is to waste as little potato as possible. Start with one of the larger sides and make a straight cut down to square it. Once straight, flip this side to the bottom so you wont have to worry about your potato wiggling around on you. Continue to cut all the other sides until you have a square potato. This is very important because if you don't start off with a square potato, you wont end up with correct or straight cuts.
With a Battonet cut you're going to want to bring your knife so it is 1/4 of an inch away from the end. Making sure you are cutting the longer end, make your cut. If done right you should get a square sheet of potato, with the thickness of.. you guessed it, 1/4 inch. You will continue to cut the rest of the potato into the same size sheets until done. At this point you can decide if you would like to trim your sheets down to 2 inches or larger. But whatever you decide, cut all your sheets the same way. After your sheets have been trimmed, you will begin to cut them into 1/4" sticks. It may be difficult at first to find how much 1/4" is but try using a ruler at first, it really helps. Eventually it'll get easier to remember how the cut looks. Continue to cut the rest of your sheets into 1/4" x 1/4" x 2 or 2-1/2" (or larger) cuts until finished. Take a step back and look at your perfect Battonet cuts! Not only do they look nice, but they'll cook evenly so you won't have to worry about some burning and some still be undercooked.
Pictures will come soon to accompany this, and ill write some about the Julienne cut which is very similar to the Battonet, only half the thickness.
Hope all is well =)
Have a wonderful New Years!
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