Rough chopping
Beginner Knife skills
Rough chopping is cutting food into pieces of about the same size without worrying about neat shapes.
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How do you do it?
1Trim off stems, roots and peels you won't eat, and cut a flat side so the food sits steady.
2Cut into chunks roughly 3/4 to 1 inch across unless the recipe says otherwise.
3Aim for pieces that are about the same size, not the same shape.
Why does it work?
Pieces of similar size cook at the same rate, so nothing ends up raw or mushy. It's used when the food will be blended, strained or cooked a long time, so looks don't matter.
What are the common mistakes?
- Mixing tiny bits with huge chunks — small ones burn while big ones stay hard.
- Cutting round food without a flat side — it rolls and the knife slips.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
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