How to Cube a Potato

It’s often said that people eat with their eyes first and in the Culinary Industry it is very important to...

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May 2, 2014 2 min read

It’s often said that people eat with their eyes first and in the Culinary Industry it is very important to have accurate knife cuts. One of the easiest root vegetables to cube is the potato, which is also the most common starch used in cooking. The first step in cube cutting a potato is to level off the 4 sides and the 2 ends. When you start with a rectangle instead of a tube shape, your end cuts will be more accurate. If you are cutting a large dice the dimensions are 3/4” x 3/4” x 3/4”. When you have your rectangle cut the potato into 3/4” thick slices length wise, then divide those slices in two and cut your 3/4” squares. If you are wanting to achieve a medium or
small dice follow the same steps but adjust your dimensions to 1/2” x 1/2” x 1/2” for medium dice and 1/4” x 1/4” x 1/4” for small dice.

Depending on the dish you are preparing you may need smaller cuts of potato to compliment your dish, instead of highlighting the potato. In this case you may need a brunoise or fine brunoise cut. To achieve these cuts follow the steps above for the dices and adjust your dimensions to 1/8” x 1/8” x 1/8” for brunoise and 1/16” x 1/16” x 1/16” for fine brunoise. These cube cuts are much smaller cuts than the dices and would be better used in a simple soup, consommé or inside stuffed pasta. A large dice is used when boiling potatoes, a medium and small dice are used in soups, potato salads or for roasted potatoes.


By: Helena Stallings, Culinary Arts Student

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