Lesson Plan in

Food and Service Management

(Food Preparation I)

I. Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to;
1. Identify the different classic knife cuts.
2. Perform the different cuts they have learned.
3. Gain the proper skills in cutting and making different knife cuts.

II. Subject Matter:

Area: Food Preparation

Topic: Knife Grips, Fulcrum Placement and Classic Knife Cuts
Instructional Materials: LCD Projector, Laptop, Pictures

Reference:

III. Procedure

Teacher’s Activity Student’s Activity

A. Preparation

a.1 Daily Routine:

1. Opening Prayer
2. Greetings
3. Checking of classroom environment
4. Checking of attendance
5. Review of past Lesson

B. Motivation

Showing different knife cuts and followed by asking

question:

1. Do you have any idea what is our topic for Yes mam, about different styles of cuts.
today?
Very Good!

C. Presentation

Before we discuss the different knife cuts you should

know how to properly hold the knife.

Any idea why we have to hold the knife properly? For us not to harm ourselves and for easy way of
Very good! Thank you! cutting ingredients.

The proper way to hold a chef’s knife is to grasp the

blade firmly between the pad of your thumb and the
knuckle of your index finger just in front of the
bolsters, curling your remaining fingers around the
bottom of the handle.

There are two different methods when cutting product

with your chef’s knife.
One is wrist-fulcrum method where you will use your
wrist as the fulcrum of the stroke, moving the tip up
and down in an arc.
The other method is tip-fulcrum method which is to
keep the tip of your knife on the cutting surface,
moving the rear of your knife up and down.

Which do you prefer to use, the wrist-fulcrum or tip- The tip-fulcrum method Ma’am.
fulcrum method?
Okay thank you!

No matter which method you adopt, it’s crucial to be

aware of the position of your “guide” hand. Always
keep your thumb tucked behind the gently curled
fingers of your guide hand.
Ma’am, for us not to cut our nails or fingers.
Why do you think that is the proper position of the
guide hand?
Very good! Thank you!

This will prevent countless injuries, and also facilitate

the use of your knuckles to guide the edge of your
knife to its proper position for the next cut.

Now let’s proceed to some classic knife cuts.

Can you name some classic knife cuts that you use The classic knife cuts are: Strips, cubes, minced
when you are cooking foods?
Okay good! Thank you!

First is large dice which is a cube measuring ¾ inch 1. Cut off one side of the product to provide
on a side. Please read the first direction on how to flat, stable surface for the next cut;
make a large dice. 2. Set the product on the newly created flat
side, and begin cutting planks ¾ inch
wide:
3. Lay the planks over and cut them into
logs:
4. Finally, trim one end of the log and cut as
Thank you! many ¾ inch large dice as you can.

What dishes you usually use the large dice? I usually use large dice in caldereta and afritada
Very good! Thank you! Ma’am.

The second one is medium dice which simply the

same method like the large dice but measure ½ inch
cube.

What dishes you usually use the medium dice? I use medium dice in menudo.
Yes that’s right. Thank you!

A paysanne is a decorative cut that’s related to the

medium dice, but sliced into ⅛ inch thick squares
(½”x½”x⅛”). It is most often used as a garnish.

The fourth knife cut is batonnet which is a stick- 1. Cut off one side of the product to provide
shaped cut that measures ¼” x ¼” x 2” to 2½”. Please flat, stable surface for the next cut;
read again the directions. 2. Set the product on the newly created flat
side, and begin cutting planks ¼ inch
wide:
3. Lay the planks over and cut them into ¼”
logs:
Thank you! 4. Finally, trim to the correct length.

One easy way to tell if your batonnet are of classic

dimensions is to compare them to the rivets on a
standard chef’s knife:
 Standard chef’s knives often have ¼”
rivets.
 The opposite edge of successive rivets
on a standard chef’s knife makes a
good reference for batonnet length.

Small dice is simply a ¼” cube, made from the

beginnings of batonnet.

In what dish you usually use small dice? We use small dice in sauteed ground pork.

Julienne has a dimensions of ⅛” x ⅛” 2” to 2 ½”. The

tang of your knife provides a reference for the correct
width of your julienne.

What food is actually looked like this? Ma’am it looks like a french fries.

Brunoise is simply dicing julienne logs into ⅛” cubes.

Fine julienne is the same length as julienne, but the

width and depth are 1/16” x 1/16”.

Where can you see the fine julienne cut? We use this cut in the vegetables of pansit.

Fine brunoise is simply a 1/16” cube from the fine

julienne.

The last one is mince which is a tiny, but less fussy cut 1. Cut your product into manageably small
of vegetable, with no specific dimensions except that slices or segments, then rock the edge of
it should be quite small, usually in order to promote the knife back and forth over the cutting
quick infusion of flavor to a dish. Please read on how surface while pressing down on the spine
to do the mincing. of the knife with the palm of your guide
hand. Arch your palm to keep fingertips
out of the way of the blade.

Give me some products that you usually use mincing. When mincing garlic, onions and ginger.

Let us now discuss the tips for cutting certain fruits

and vegetables.

Dicing an onion. Please read the directions. 1. Make a flat surface to the onion on by
slicing off a small portion on the stem
end:
2. Balancing the onion on the flat surface
just created, cut into half through the root
end. Do not trim the root end off either
half of the onion.
3. Peel the skin from each half of the onion,
 using a pairing knife.
4. Once your onion is peeled, place it cut-
side down, and make vertical cuts of the
desired thickness from root to stem end.
Do not cut all the way through the root
end.
5. Make a horizontal slices, once again
being careful not to cut through the root
end. You may need to hold the sides of
the onion together with the fingers of
your guide hand, so be cautious – it’s
Easy to nick yourself during this step:
6. Finally, slice down across the cut grid to
Thank you! produce your dice.

Chiffonade is a fine slice or shred of leafy vegetables

or herbs.
To chiffonade, simply stack a few leaves, roll them
into a cigar shape, and slice.

In filleting a pepper without creating unnecessary

waste a bell pepper, simply cut the top and bottom
from the pepper (reserving them for dice or garnish)
and remove the seeds.
Slice the body of the pepper open and lay it flat. Then,
just run run your knife along the inside of the pepper,
removing the pale ribs, and slice as desired.
Remember – always cut away from yourself.

Dicing a mango. Can you read the procedure? 1. Slice the unpeeled fruit from each aide of
the pit:
2. Using a pairing knife, carefully make a
crosshatch of the desired size, without
cutting through the peel:
3. Finally, invert the peel by pressing on it
with your fingers. You can the. Run the
blade of your knife under the cubes next
Thank you! to the inside of the peel.

Rondelle is a coin-shaped slice of a cylindrical

vegetable.

Diagonal cam be formed by simply turning you knife

at an angle to the axis of the product.

Portioning Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits are used in countless recipes, but the
traditional “score the rind and peel” method produces
sections that are still covered by the thin but bitter skin
and may contain seeds.
To produce attractive, skinless citrus sections, remove
the rind and pith from the outside of the entire fruit
with your knife with a curving stroke.
Slice off the ends, freeing the sections from all but the
side panels of skin in between them. Then make a “V”
cut on either side of this section, between the flesh and
the skin.
Finally, slide the loosened section out. These skinless
sections look great in salads.
Specialty Cuts
Tourne is a football-shaped, blunt ended cut with
seven equal sides.
1. To carve product into a basic football shape,
create seven sides then even them up.
2. Hold the product with the surface you are
carving in profile, rather than pointed up
towards your face.
3. When the sides are even, finish by cutting off
the tapered end of your football. A classic
tourne should be able to balance on end.

Fluted mushroom is one of the hardest cuts to master, 1. Gently peel the outer skin from the
and will take a lot of practice. mushroom cap to create a soft surface for
Use large, firm white button or crimini mushroom. carving:
Please read the direction on how to flute a mushroom. 2. The knife grip for fluting is unusual and
feels awkward at first. Support the handle
of your knife with your ring and pinky
fingers. Place the pads of your index and
middle fingers on top of the blade near
the handle for control. Place the pad of
your thumb over the tip to prevent it from
scoring the mushroom – you’ll bee center
of the knife-edge to cut, not the tip.
3. Grasp the mushroom by the stem with
your guide hand. Starting in the middle
of the top of the cap, gently carve a
trench. The part of your blade closer to
the handle will make one side of the cut,
and the part of your blade closer to the
tip will form the other aide. Drop the
handle of your knife and your wrist to
follow the curve of the mushroom down
the side.
4. Lay the next cut right along aide the first
one. Flute the mushroom by turning in a
counter-clockwise direction, but many
other people do it the opposite way.
5. A really well done fluted mushroom
should have the cuts meet at the apex of
the cap in an attractive swirl. If you find
that doesn’t Happen as often as you like,
you can cheat by pressing the tip of your
knife gently into the center to form a star.
Finally, cut the stem off to creative an attractive
garnish. You can wipe the cap with a little lemon
Thank you! juice to keep it from turning brown too quickly.

This is the end of our lesson.

IV. Generalization:

1. What are the two fulcrum placement?

2. Name one classic knife cuts and describe its shape.

V. Application:
 Students will perform the different knife cuts that they have learned.

VI. Evaluation:

In a ¼ sheet of paper, identify what is being said in the statement.

1. It is a knife cut which has ½” cube.
2. It has a dimensions of ⅛”x⅛”x2-2½” and is sometimes referred to as an alumette.
3. The method where the tip of the knife is used as the fulcrum of the stroke.
4. It is a cube measures ¾” on a side.
5. A decorative cut that’s related to the medium dice but sliced into ⅛” thick
squares.
6. A tiny, but less fussy cut of vegetable, with no specific Dimensions except that it
should be quite small.
7. It is used in leafy vegetables or herbs where you stack leaves then roll them into a
cigar shape before slicing.
8. In this method you use your wrist as the fulcrum of the stroke moving the tip up
and down.
9. A stick shaped cut that measures ¼”x¼”x2-2½”.
10. It is a coin-shaped slice of a cylindrical vegetable.

VII. Assignment:

1. Bring products that you will use in performing the different knife cuts.

Prepared by:

Abigail Joy M. Torres

Student Teacher