Not only depends on the form of slicing potatoes appearance, but also the taste of the dish: if the pieces are the same, then they are boiled or fried evenly. Homemade slicing potatoes is different from the restaurant. In restaurants, chefs do everything to make the dishes look as impressive as possible, so they sacrifice savings in favor of beauty. The hostesses are trying to clean and cut the tubers so that there is less waste. Restaurant methods of slicing at home are used only in preparation for the holidays.
Preliminary preparation
Before cutting the potatoes, the tubers must be washed well. If the potatoes are subsequently going to be peeled, then you can simply wash the skin with your hands so that damage and eyes are clearly visible. But for the preparation of tubers in their skins (boiling in their uniforms, roasting in a rustic way), they are washed especially carefully: rubbed with a brush under running water.
Even slightly damaged tubers are not suitable for boiling in their skins. If there are rhizoctonia black specks on the potato (similar to tiny lumps of dirt), they must be removed with a brush. Perfectly clean tubers should remain correct form, without damage. If such potatoes are boiled or stewed in a rustic way, they can be eaten with the skin: after brushing, the skin becomes thin, like tissue paper.
Potatoes that will be cooked without peel are peeled after washing, eyes and damaged areas are cut out, then they must be dipped in cold water so that the flesh does not darken. You should first cut all the peeled potatoes, then put them in a container for cooking. If you cut one potato at a time and transfer it to a hot pan or pot of boiling water, the pieces will cook unevenly.
Easy ways to cut potatoes
TO simple ways slicing potatoes are those that are easy to perform with any knife, and without first “cutting” the tuber: circles, slices, sticks, cubes, straws, slices, chips.
Circles
A peeled and washed potato can be cut into circles 1–1.5 cm thick (Fig. 1). This cutting method is called paysanne. Pieces with a thickness of 1.5, sometimes 2 cm, are used to make "rustic" soups, stews, and bake in a rustic way. Mugs 0.7–1 cm thick are deep-fried.
Fig.1. Potatoes cut into slices To fry potatoes in the usual way, the tubers are cut into circles 2-3 mm thick, and for making chips - even thinner, about 1-2 mm. Usually small and medium tubers are cut in this way: it is difficult to separate a neat thin circle from a large potato with an ordinary knife. Therefore, for making homemade chips, it is more convenient to grind potatoes with a shredder (Fig. 2).
When restaurant cutting, circles of approximately the same diameter are selected from the middle of the tuber, and the rest are used for mashed potatoes.
Fig.2. Universal shredder for vegetables slices
If the circles are cut into 2 or 4 parts, you will get slices (Fig. 3). The tuber is cut lengthwise into 2 parts. If it is large, then each half is also cut lengthwise into 2 parts. These pieces are cut across. While one half of the tuber is being cut, the other half is lowered into the water.
Fig.3. slices Slices 1-2 cm thick are suitable for making soups, baking. For frying, potatoes are cut into slices 2-3 mm thick. The rule for restaurant cutting is the same as for circles: choose slices of the same size.
Slices
Slices are cut into medium, less often - small tubers. First, the potato is cut into 4 parts (as for slices). To get slices, each quarter is cut in half (Fig. 4). This is an excellent form of cutting for baking with stuffed with apples duck, stewing with meat, cooking potatoes in a rustic way. The slices are also deep-fried.
Fig.4. Slices The restaurant form of cutting differs from the home one only in that for festive dishes choose tubers of about the same size.
Blocks
Restaurant cut:
- Choose tubers of approximately the same size, wash them and peel them.
- Cut off a piece on each side of the tuber to make a rectangular parallelepiped.
- Cut it into plates.
- Stack the plates one on top of the other and cut them into sticks.
When restaurant cutting, the bars should be the same (Fig. 5). The cross section of the bar is a square with a side of 6–7 mm. This cut is called a batonnet. These sticks are deep fried.
Fig.5. Homemade slicing potatoes 
Rice. 6. Restaurant slicing potatoes into cubes When cutting at home, the tuber is not “cut” first, so some of the bars are irregular in shape and differ from others in size.
For soups, shorter sticks are used, cut in the prentanier method: 3–4 cm long and 0.7–1 cm thick. Prentanier sticks are fried (in the usual way and deep-fried), stewed.
There are slicers on sale, with which you can easily and quickly cut potatoes into cubes, even for a very large company.
Fig.7. Slicers for slicing potatoes Straw
Straws are very thin sticks.
Straw types:
- julienne (julienne) - bars 2 mm thick and 2.5 cm long;
- share - length 4-5 cm.
Straws are most often deep-fried, used for cooking Korean salads.
To cut the tuber into strips, you need a very sharp knife. It is much easier to chop potatoes on a grater for Korean salads or using a special tool (Fig. 8).
Fig.8. Devices for cutting tubers into strips Cubes
To get cubes, the tuber is cut into sticks, then a stack of sticks is cut across (Fig. 9).
Types of cubes:
- brunoise (brunoise) - face 1–2 mm;
- jardinier (jardinière) - 3-4 mm;
- Macedonian (macédonienne) - 5 mm;
- Peizan - parallelepipeds with a base of 1 × 1 cm and a height of 0.3–0.4 cm.
Raw tubers are cut into cubes for soups, boiled - for salads.
Fig.9. Cubes Shavings
Potato chips are long thin ribbons 1–2 cm wide. They can be cut with an ordinary knife, but there is also a special device that allows you to make very even and neat chips (Fig. 10). Deep fried potato strips.
Rice. 10. Knife for planing potatoes
Ways to "grind" whole tubers
To make whole potatoes look the same and in ready dish looked more beautiful, they are given various, sometimes intricate forms.
Kegs
To make a barrel:
- Cut off the top and bottom of the potato.
- The sides of the tuber are "turned", forming a barrel (Fig. 11).
The barrels are stewed whole or the middle is taken out, stuffed and baked. Barrel-shaped tubers are stable and can be placed compactly in a baking dish.
Garlic
To make garlic, the barrel is cut into slices. A little pulp is cut off from the sharp edge of each slice (Fig. 12).
Fig.12. Garlic "Accordions"
Deep transverse cuts are made on the tubers at a distance of 3-4 mm from each other (Fig. 13). Pieces of bacon or cheese are inserted into the slots and baked.
Fig.13. Baked potato "accordion" "Pears"
The tuber is "turned", giving it the shape of a pear. Such potatoes are usually baked (Fig. 14).
Rice. 14. Potato "pears" "Lapti"
Medium tubers are washed and cleaned. A transverse incision is made on the tuber. With the help of a knife and a spoon, a “bast shoe” is formed (Fig. 15). On the "toe" make shallow transverse and longitudinal incisions. Bast shoes are stuffed, lubricated butter and baked in the oven.
Rice. 15. Potato "bast shoes" "Mushrooms"
On a tuber washed with a brush, a circular transverse incision is made. One half of the potato is left in its skin (this is a “hat”), the second is hewn, forming a “leg” (Fig. 16). "Mushrooms" are smeared with butter and spices and baked.
Rice. 16. Potato "mushrooms" Curly slicing potatoes
Curly cutting requires special tools.
Wavy Chips
The peeled tuber is cut in the same way as in circles, using a special knife with a wavy blade (Fig. 17).
Rice. 17. Chip knife Balloons
To make potato balls, you need a special spoon. It is thrust into the tuber and the stalk is rotated around its axis. The result is neat identical balls the size of a hazelnut (Fig. 18). They are baked or deep fried.
Rice. 18. Potato balls Spirals
A metal skewer is pierced into a raw tuber. Then a device with a sharp blade is screwed onto it (Fig. 19). The knife cuts the potato in such a way that one long ribbon 1–2 mm thick is obtained, twisted into a spiral.
Rice. 19. Potato spirals Spirals are not removed from skewers, but immediately deep-fried (like chips). These "kebabs" look very impressive.
Slicing for cooking potatoes in a rustic way
Students at the University of Essex found that when baking, the largest area of \u200b\u200bthe pieces will be covered with a golden crust if:
- Cut the tuber lengthwise.
- Cut each half at an angle of 30° (fig. 20).
Fig.20. tuber slicing Planting potatoes in slices is one of the most controversial issues in potato growing, and the conclusions of different studies are opposite. In Holland and other European countries with a humid, cool climate, tubers are not cut, but in the USA and Canada, 95% of potatoes are planted in halves. Japanese farmers cut slices purchased from foreign colleagues into two parts, receiving 4 units of planting material from one tuber. At the summer cottage, it is advisable to cut potatoes for planting only in case of a shortage of seed tubers, while it is important to follow the technology.
Attention! Not all varieties normally tolerate tuber making, for example, cutting is undesirable for Scarb and Red Scarlet, as it slows down plant development and reduces yield. You need to know in advance whether the selected variety is suitable for planting in parts.
1. Rejection of tubers. Do not cut sick and too small potatoes. In the first case, there is a high risk of infecting healthy tubers, in the second case, there will be too few nutrients left for the development of the bush in adverse conditions. The slice should not be less than 25-30 grams and have at least 2-3 eyes. Outwardly healthy, but with signs of damage to the pulp, potatoes are rejected.
2. Cutting time. You can divide the tubers from autumn until planting. In autumn, potatoes quickly create a protective tissue (wound periderm) at the incision site, which is similar in properties to the peel, although it differs in appearance. When cutting in the spring, a protective layer is also created, but its ability to resist infection is much lower.
Cutting potatoes in the fall is dangerous because of one infected tuber, you can lose all the seed material. If there is no well-ventilated storage and it is not possible to monitor the potatoes every day, this procedure should be postponed until spring or the time of landing in the ground.
Cutting potatoes for planting is best before germination to create the same starting conditions for both halves, but if done too early, the tubers will lose a lot of moisture.
The first 15 days, until a protective crust forms, the cut halves should be stored separately from each other at room temperature away from sunlight with good ventilation and relative humidity of 90-95%. Then the planting material can be transferred to the cellar.
It is advisable for beginner potato growers to divide the tubers 3-4 days before planting or 4-5 hours before planting in the ground.
3. Cutting method. It happens longitudinal and transverse. From the point of view of growing technology, it is easier to cut the tuber lengthwise, since there is no need for sorting, but the sprouts on the umbilical cord (the place where the potato was attached to the parent bush) will not develop so actively, besides, not every variety has a sufficient number of eyes (at least 2- 3) on each half.
It is better to cut the potatoes across. It is important to remember that the sprouts from the crown of the tuber develop earlier than from the umbilical cord. If you plant the lobules mixed, then the bushes from the crown will sprout earlier, taking nutrients from the “neighboring” one from the umbilical cord. Therefore, during cutting, the slices are sorted, and then planted in separate rows.
Large tubers can be cut into 4 parts, but the less nutrients remain on the sprout, the greater the danger that the potatoes will not germinate under adverse conditions or will be very weak.
When cutting, the main thing is not to touch the "eyes" (places where sprouts appear), otherwise the entrances will not appear!
4. Disinfection. Before starting, it is advisable to disinfect the container, racks and the room itself with a five percent solution of copper sulphate. Only stainless steel knives are suitable for slicing potatoes. Rubber gloves are used to protect hands.
So that the infection from one tuber is not transmitted to another, after each cut, the blade is disinfected in a manganese solution (200 mg of potassium permanganate per 200 ml of water). An alternative way is to bring the knife to the flame of the burner, hold it for a couple of seconds, then cool the blade.
To reduce the likelihood of infection, slow down the evaporation of the liquid and accelerate the formation of a protective film, the tubers at the cut sites are treated with special substances. by the most effective tool wood ash is considered, in case of its absence, dry cement is used. The substance is poured into a bowl and dipped in a slice of potato. After 3 hours, you can start landing. Cement is a chemically neutral substance that does not harm the soil.
5. Landing pattern. Sliced potatoes are planted with a cut to the top to a depth of 6-10 cm at a soil temperature of at least +10 ° C. Planting interval and row spacing are standard, these parameters depend on the variety. Otherwise, cultivation does not differ from the traditional method.
How to properly cut potatoesI have always loved collecting recipes and cooking. But no one taught me how to cook, I came to everything myself. She cooked her first meal when she got married at 22. I've learned a lot since then, of course. My family invariably praises my cooking. But, unfortunately, I don’t know how to cook anything but the simplest dishes.
I have always been a working person, and there was not much time to do the kitchen. The maximum I could always devote about an hour a day to this activity. And cooking has always been just a household chore for me. But, lately, since I sat down at home, I increasingly think about how I would like to learn how to cook something more interesting and tasty. Especially since I came to Lyra. You yourself know how much culinary beauty is posted here in diaries every day!
Ever since I started this diary, I have been trying to collect interesting recipes and every day I learn something new. But I understand more and more clearly that I can’t do without learning the basic culinary skills. Because my cooking is entirely based on intuition. And knowledge is sorely lacking.
And besides, cooking becomes my hobby. And every day I love this occupation more and more.
Starting from this post, I will deal with the basics of cooking and share the knowledge gained with you. Perhaps learn to cook better than now, I want not only me)
To begin with, I decided to deal with basic ways of slicing potatoes and other hard vegetables. And here small discoveries awaited me.
Let's start with potatoes. The main forms of cutting are straws, sticks, cubes, slices, slices.
Straw. Potatoes are cut into thin plates. Then the plates are chopped into straws 4-5 cm long with a section of 0.2 x 0.2 cm. It turned out to be like thin noodles, although I always thought that straws and sticks are different names for the same cutting method). It looks like this:
Fortunately, now you can not suffer with your hands, but use various devices. Many people use a Korean grater for such cutting.
Shredded potatoes are used for deep-frying. I began to look for what is actually made of it and found:
potato pie
Cut potatoes into strips. Rinse in cold water, so that the pieces do not stick together during frying. Drain in a colander or sieve.
In a saucepan or a deep pan, heat the fat to 170-180 degrees. The ratio of fat to potatoes should be 4:1. Put in potatoes and fry, stirring occasionally, until formed golden brown until potatoes are ready. Remove the cooked potatoes from the fat with a slotted spoon and place in a colander or wire sieve to drain excess fat. Sprinkle with salt powder or just fine salt.
This turns out to be delicious:
So that the potatoes do not stick together during frying, it is advised to roll them in potato starch. I did it without him. Very similar to chips. At home, this food was immediately nicknamed "Daughter's Joy") In general, potato pie is both a side dish and an appetizer for beer.
Blocks. Potatoes are cut lengthwise into plates up to 1 cm thick and cut into sticks 4-5 cm long. The sticks are used for frying or cooking borscht, soups, and other dishes.
It looks like this:
I learned how to cut potatoes for frying a long time ago. Now I will also cut it for borscht. You can also fry French fries. It is prepared in the same way as the potato pie. The difference is only in the form of cutting.
Cubes. Until recently, it was a universal way for me to cut potatoes. The cubes are cut: large - with a cross section of 2 - 2.5 cm, medium - 1 - 1.5 and small - 0.3 - 0.5 cm.
Large ones are used for stewing and making soups, medium ones are used for cooking potatoes in milk and for stewing, small cubes are cut from boiled potatoes for salads and side dishes for cold dishes.
I don't think anyone needs to be told what potato cubes look like. But for the sake of completeness, I found a picture for them too (unfortunately, I have nothing to photograph with):
Slices. Raw medium-sized potatoes are cut in half and then along the radius into slices. The slices are deep-fried, pickle and stew are prepared with them.
Here they are, slices:
Slices. Boiled potatoes are cut into four parts crosswise and chopped into slices 1-2 mm thick for salads and vinaigrettes.
Circles. Boiled or raw potatoes are shaped into a cylinder (which is probably not necessary at home). Then cut into circles 1.5 - 2 mm thick. Raw circles are fried, boiled ones are used for baking fish and meat.
Here, too, everything is simple, but again I found the photo:
Barrels and cylinders. Potatoes are grinded, giving it the shape of a barrel. Used for garnish. Kegs are often stuffed with various fillings and baked in the oven.
Here is one idea for you on how to make a beautiful potato side dish. I really liked. Hats, I think, are smeared with sauce:
For the sake of completeness, I should also mention slicing potatoes in the form garlic or pears. First done barrel. Then it is cut lengthwise into several parts. A notch is cut on the edge of each barrel. These potatoes are used to make soups. And also with the help of special recesses from raw potatoes cut out balloons. Large and medium balls are deep-fried, medium and small are used boiled as a side dish. But, unfortunately, I could not find photos of such a cut.
And with the help of a special device, potatoes can be cut spiral and then deep fry.
It is not difficult to guess that other root crops are cut in exactly the same way.
Beets and carrots for soups, stews and generally cooking any dishes cut into strips, cubes and slices.
Onion- rings, half rings, slices and small cubes.
Perhaps the most popular dish on the tables of the Russians was and remains roast potatoes. One of the main conditions for the preparation of this dish is the correct cutting of root crops. Each housewife has her own secrets on how to cut potatoes for frying. If you are still unfamiliar with them, then our material will be very useful.
Cubes or sticks: options for slicing potatoes
Nutritionists, gastroenterologists, and adherents of a healthy diet loudly repeat that fried potatoes- a dish very dangerous for our stomach. They categorically do not recommend indulging in such a delicacy to anyone, especially people with digestive tract problems.
But then a simple person comes to mind the time-worn phrase: "Forbidden fruit is always sweet and captivating." So why, if you want, then you can not? It is very possible, but not always and necessarily in moderation. And in these rare moments, you should also think about what kind of potatoes you want to cook. Perhaps fry in a pan or simmer in large quantities sunflower oil? Or maybe bake with spices in the oven? Although this option is difficult to attribute to really fried potatoes.
From the chosen method of cooking the dish will depend on how to properly cut the potatoes for frying. There are only three options:
- cubes;
- straws;
- cubes.
These cutting techniques are quite simple and even a child can do it, the main thing is that he does not injure his fingers. Let's consider each option separately.
Comfortable strips
So, let's figure out how to cut potatoes into strips for frying:
- We wash the roots under a stream of cool water. If the potatoes have eye sockets, then it is better to do this with a brush.
- Then peel the potatoes and set the tubers sideways on a cutting board.
- Then turn the circle flat on the board and cut into strips equal to the thickness of the slice.
- Rinse the straw well in a bowl of water. This will remove excess starch from the vegetable.
- We send the potatoes to a heated pan with sunflower oil.
This option allows you to achieve deep frying of potatoes and is ideal for deep-fried dishes in a large amount of sunflower oil. In this case, a dish called "fried potatoes" will miraculously be renamed overseas "french fries."
Simple sticks
This method of slicing potatoes also does not require special skills and manual dexterity. All you need is a cutting board, a sharp knife and peeled potatoes. And then follow the instructions:
- Place the peeled tubers on a cutting board and press down with your fingers on the side of the center.
- Cut the potatoes into 4 equal parts with two movements of the knife - lengthwise and across.
- Now cut each quarter into two parts again so that neat crescents come out.
- Rinse the potatoes in a bowl of water, dry and start frying.
Potatoes cut into cubes are very tasty if fried in a pan with oil and spices. Quite often, “Rustic Potatoes” are also prepared from half-moon pieces.
Favorite cubes
The easiest and most understandable way for everyone to cut is neat squares. It is these potatoes that housewives add to soups and salads. But no less tasty it turns out in a fried form.
Read also:
Consider step by step how to cut potatoes into cubes:
- Wash and clean potatoes.
- Lay the root vegetable on a cutting board and cut it into halves with one clear movement of the hand.
- Now turn the half flat side down and divide it into 2 more parts. If the potato is too large, then several cuts will have to be made, dividing the vegetable into 3-4 or more slices in this way.
- Then collect all the pieces together and cut into neat cubes with transverse movements.
- Rinse potatoes and pat dry with paper towels before roasting.
Connoisseurs of fried potatoes in the end get not just a neat dish, but each piece is covered with a uniform golden crust, while maintaining softness and juiciness from the inside.
Alternatives
If you don’t have much time or desire to mess with potatoes, modern kitchen tools for cutting vegetables will come to the rescue. Such equipment is now widely sold on the market and in electronics stores and is designed to significantly reduce cooking time. In addition, you will get neat and identical pieces of potatoes, even if you are working with it for the first time.
Take a look at the following tools:
- Slicer - the name of the device already speaks of its purpose in the kitchen. Made of stainless steel with pointed tips on one side, it perfectly slices any vegetables, including potatoes, perfectly evenly. Having such a device in the kitchen is very convenient, in particular, when there is no time for cooking.
- A device for cutting fries on the market is presented in the form of a rectangle made of plastic, in the center of which there are pointed blades in the form of a lattice. It is very convenient to use it: it is enough to peel the potatoes, set the tubers vertically and press the handrails of the device with a forceful movement.
- In addition, on sale there are devices for the original cutting of potatoes, for example, with a spiral or wavy slices. Frying curly potatoes in oil is not very convenient, but it is ideal for baking.
In addition to standard and alternative options for cutting vegetables for frying, it will be more convenient to cut young potatoes into neat halves. True, after frying in oil, such a dish is recommended to be stewed for some time under the lid, otherwise the halves will remain raw inside.
Students from a British university conducted a real study on the topic of cooking potatoes. They figured out how to quickly and correctly cut it into four pieces so that later there were no problems with frying. It turned out that there is a more effective way than just swiping a vegetable horizontally and vertically with a knife, as almost everyone in the world does.
Students in the Hospitality Management Department at the University of Essex have found a new way to cut potatoes before frying or baking. They did some real research and applied their knowledge of trigonometry to come up with an amusing but logical discovery: when potatoes are cut into the typical quarters, they do not fry as well as when cut into triangles, if the latter is produced in a special way. These, of course, are not experiments from the "" series, but also a very useful activity.
You don't have to be a scientist to understand their method. Everything becomes logical when looking at drawings with marks - although it does not hurt to know the basics of geometry. As an example, a potato 5 centimeters long and 11.5 centimeters wide was taken, which was first cut into four parts by a standard method - students say that even British chefs use it.
Two movements with a knife, horizontally and vertically, and as a result we get four relatively equal pieces. Now the math comes into play: the total area of the inner surfaces of the potato that will be fried is 26 π . Each piece in length and width will turn out to be half the corresponding values of a whole potato.
Let's remember this number and cut the potato again - also into four parts, but in this example the vegetable will be cut into triangles. They all come from the same part of the potato, and in essence the students suggest simply cutting the potato in half and then cutting each half diagonally at an angle close to 30 degrees.
The results should be clear from the previous picture, but the numbers say much more. With an alternative method of cutting, the cook gets a new straight line - a diagonal. And it radically changes the size of the fried surface of the potato - now these are long and thin pieces. And the total area of the internal surfaces of the potato is now 52.9 π.
The difference in total surface areas being fried (don't forget the outer surface of the potato) is even greater - with the alternative method, 65 percent more parts of the potato will come into contact with the pan.
The motive for the students' research was the video recipe of the famous British chef and host of his own cooking show, Heston Blumenthal. In it, the cook, like many, cut potatoes traditional way, but the students did not like his method. In a video response, they urge Heston to put their discovery to the test and review the recipe. And in order for the celebrity to notice the students, they tagged him on social networks.
The editors of Medialeaks also conduct experiments with and over food from time to time. In the summer we wrote a life hack about . Before that, we studied beneficial features orange peel- not like Gennady Malakhov, but those of its properties that.
