Julienne or allumette is a French culinary knife cut in which food items are cut into long thin strips. “Julienne” is a French cooking term for thin strips of vegetables or meat or fruit, it is very similar to matchsticks.
The common vegetable items used for julienne are carrots for carrots julienne, celery for céléris remoulade, potatoes for julienne fries, or cucumbers for naengmyeon. Vegetables cut this way cook much faster, so julienne strips are often used in stir-fries. They are also used as a decorative cut to garnish various dishes.
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| Julienne cuts of bell pepper, carrot, potato |
Use of the julienne cut
Julienne is often used as a decorative cut to garnish various dishes, julienne strips are also used in stir-fries salads, side dishes, soups. Julienned vegetables are also used to add texture to a dish.
Julienne vegetables cut help the food to cook much faster, so julienne strips are often used in stir-fries.
How to cut julienne strips
- Frist, peel the vegetable, if necessary, and place it on the cutting board
- Holding the vegetable with your fingertips cut it crosswise into 2-1/2- to 3-inch lengths.
- Stack a few slabs at a time and cut lengthwise with the chef’s knife into 1/16- to 1/8-inch-thick strips (the same width as the slabs)
