Chop vs dice
- Thread starter mumu
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
mumu, I googled up a nice blog post about size difference and knife skills hints. Complete with an illustration! Hope the blog helps, but maybe just the image will be enough: Kitchen Fundamentals: Basic Knife Skills | The Art of Manliness
Who says that?
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I think they were speaking in general terms when talking about chopping. Similar to "cutting up" veggies. You have to chop/cut up some veggies. They could be diced minced, etc.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
I think her question is just about asking us to read someone's mind. Like taxlady says, who is doing the talking. I can usually tell when something says dice, I know what dice is without having to read minds. If a recipe is not clear in the directions, then that is a deal breaker for me. Time to go to the next recipe. If the writer is not clear with their directions, they then shouldn't be writing recipes.
CG's pictorial should be the complete answer to your question without our having to try and read the mind of an unknown person.
I view the situation based on what I'm preparing. A recipe may say chop an ingredient and if I think I would prefer to have pieces of the vegetable/whatever evident in the dish, then I'll cut in larger pieces than if I wanted to have them be less evident. Even then, I might change my mind. Meatloaf is a good example.
Sometimes I want the green pepper and onion be distributed within the meat mixture more thoroughly. That's when I'll chop them quite small. Other times, I want a "bite" of pepper or onion when I'm eating my piece of meatloaf. That is the time I'll cut them into much larger chunks.
Actually, now, I don't get so wrapped up in the size of what is chopped, minced or diced because I have serious issues with arthritis in both my hands, which makes any knife work painful. On a good day, I can chop, dice or mince away like nobody's business. But good days are few and far between.
Actually, when it's all said and done, I'd recommend that unless you are going to culinary school or plan to pursue a career as a chef, don't get too wrapped up in what really amounts to minor differences in the techniques you're asking about. Just have fun in the kitchen.
I ask the question bec. Earlier was going to make a salad called chop veg. Salad and got my veg. Out and ready to slice,dice ,julieene my veg. When i read they want all the veg. Diced. I know I could do it either way, but got confused. See trying to understand.
Yes, we're all trying to learn new things and each of us has a different level of knowledge and experience. You also don't say if you are an "in your head" type of learner or a more visual one.
You don't indicate how old you are or what your culinary experience is so no one has a base from which to respond to you. Therein is some of our challenge and where confusion raises its frustrating head.
Having said all this, I think you can use the photo that Cooking Goddess posted as a nice guide. It's one thing to describe something in 10 or 100 words but, as has been said, a picture is worth a thousand words.
I am only 12 and learning . Learning on my own thru books and help of you guys. ( when I am not accused of trolling) 
that being said I do more on visual and yes the picture does help. But it didn't answer the question when say chop....mean general term ( render it to bits) or chop as cut into dice,cube slice etc..
that being said I do more on visual and yes the picture does help. But it didn't answer the question when say chop....mean general term ( render it to bits) or chop as cut into dice,cube slice etc..
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Since you are making a salad, I would tell you to cut them to bite size. Now since we don't the size of your mouth, you will have to be the judge. Cut them to your liking. Look at the picture provided by Cooking Goddess and use your own judgment as to what would be comfortable for you to eat.
Cheryl J
Chef Extraordinaire
I am only 12 and learning . Learning on my own thru books and help of you guys. ( when I am not accused of trolling)
So you were 9 when you joined DC....
RPCookin
Executive Chef
I am only 12 and learning . Learning on my own thru books and help of you guys. ( when I am not accused of trolling)
This is a photo I took of the knife prep for a Bahamian conch salad. Note that it is a rather small chop, but it's still a chop because the pieces are not uniform. It's chopped closer to the size that most would consider as a fresh salsa, but it's a staple food in the Bahamas, often eaten for lunch. The guy who is doing the prep has fantastic knife skills, but perfect uniformity just isn't necessary for a salad unless you are trying to impress a judge on the Food Network.
When I make a garden salad, I chop some of it, julienne some, tear some... none of it is an absolute. For cooking, it's sometimes more important because you want the different ingredients to cook at the correct rate. Even then it's not an absolute for most home cooks. I certainly don't take great pains to make each dice exactly the same as the last - I'm not that good with a knife unless I take an inordinate amount of time. I don't feel that it's generally necessary.
I'd say learn the terms in a general sense, then as you gain experience you will find your own comfort zone.
I feel I must try to explain to all of you that has helped me. I been trying to put in words this last week and here is what I came up with. I was getting confused as far as the word chop meant by the method ( method of vegtables cuts such as slice, dice chop).....( as Andy said when I said some one here said chop is to render it to bits... general term),to the word chop itself. I hope this made sense to any of you that read this. I just had to explain myself.
Similar threads
