How To Matchstick Cut

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This maneuver neatly reduces bumpy, bulbous, and otherwise wildly irregular vegetables into tidy strips of uniform size and shape that resemble—what else? Matchsticks.

To complete this How-To you will need:

A chef's knife
A cutting board
And a vegetable to cut

Step 1: Wash & peel

Wash and peel the vegetable, if necessary.

Step 2: Grasp knife

Grasp the knife in your dominant hand, holding the handle close to the blade with three fingers: your middle, ring, and pinkie. Curl your forefinger around one side of the blade while holding your thumb on the opposite side.

Step 3: Hold vegetable

With your non-knife-wielding hand, hold the vegetable firmly on the cutting board close to the area you will cut.

Tip: Curl your fingers so that the tips are firmly planted on the vegetable and the knuckles point outward—in the food world, this is called the "claw grip."

Step 4: Cut off ends

Cut off the ends of the vegetable.

Tip: Keep an empty bowl next to your cutting board so you can place the trimmings in there instead of running back and forth to the garbage can.

Step 5: Cut crosswise

Cut the vegetable crosswise into 2-inch segments.

Step 6: Cut off sides

Cut off the sides of one section. It should now resemble a block with 4 long flat surfaces—this will make it easier to cut uniform pieces.

Step 7: Slice into slabs

Slice the segments lengthwise into 1/8 inch-thick slabs.

Tip: Keep the point of the knife on the board and use a steady rocking motion to slice—not saw—the vegetable with the full length of the blade.

Step 8: Stack & slice

Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice them again into 1/8 inch-wide sticks. What remains should resemble a pile of... you guessed it.

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Category:

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Tags:

• cut
• diy
• do
• essential
• FoodDrink
• how-to
• howcast
• instructional
• it
• learn
• matchstick
• skills
• small
• tips
• to
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• yourself

[Nanashi85]

These slicing and cutting videos are becoming awfully redundant... I don't see much difference between matchstick, baton and julienne.

[alanatgrena]

Its a bit wastefull in'it i'd rather have unequal shapes but more of em :-)

[scottkeene88]

@Nanashi85 The only difference is the size. just like how a chop, dice and mince are different.....

[nayzerie]

i wish she'd claw grip my cucumber

[TheApple128k]

@liviu811 That's not a cucumber mister. 

[liviu811]

shes rubbing that cucumber soo well XD

[jabarimclain2]

looks like a dick to me

[perpexel]

it doesnt make a differnce no mattter how you cut em...the result is a pile of brown mush

[davids5a2]

What is the difference anyway?