Online Tool Store
· 5 min read
Top 3 Knife Cuts Reference Guides
Heshan Fernando
Co-founder & COO
The recipe says brunoise the carrots. You know it means small cubes. You do not know whether it means the small cubes you were about to make, and the difference shows up in how the mirepoix cooks.
The frustration is that these are precise terms treated as vague ones. Julienne, batonnet, and brunoise have specific dimensions in classical practice, and most home recipes use them as loose synonyms for “chop it small”. Looking the real dimensions up should take fifteen seconds and usually turns into ten minutes of scrolling past a personal essay and a video.
How to judge a knife cuts reference
Does it give dimensions? A photograph of a cut vegetable is not a specification. Millimetres are.
Does it show the relationships? Brunoise is julienne diced. Small dice is batonnet diced. Learning the derivation is faster than memorising eight unrelated words.
Does it say what each cut is for? The reason to julienne rather than dice is even cooking and presentation, and the reason changes the choice.
How fast is it to consult mid-recipe? With wet hands and a running pan, page weight is a feature.
The comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebstaurantStore Types of Knife Cuts | A thorough illustrated guide with a video | Free article | A long article to scroll when you want one number |
| Michelin Guide: Know Your Knife Cuts | Authoritative context on classical terminology | Free article | Editorial framing rather than a lookup table |
| Wikipedia: List of culinary knife cuts | A single page listing the cuts and their dimensions | Free, no account | Encyclopaedic tone with limited practical guidance |
Facts checked August 2026; plans can change.
WebstaurantStore Types of Knife Cuts
This is the most complete free guide of the three, pairing each cut with photographs and a video, aimed at people working in professional kitchens. If you are learning the cuts rather than checking one, watching the motion is worth far more than reading a dimension.
It is an article, and a long one. When you already know what julienne is and simply need confirmation of the dimension, you are scrolling.
Michelin Guide: Know Your Knife Cuts
The Michelin Guide’s treatment brings something the others do not: authority about why the terminology exists and how it is used in kitchens that care. For understanding the culture of the cuts — which ones matter, which are ceremonial — it is the best read.
It is written as an article for readers, not as a reference for cooks mid-prep. Consult it before you cook, not during.
Wikipedia: List of culinary knife cuts
Wikipedia’s list is the closest thing to a plain table: the cuts, their dimensions, and their relationships on one page, free and without an account. For settling a dimension argument, it is fast and citable.
It is descriptive rather than instructive. It will tell you that brunoise is roughly 3 mm cubes; it will not tell you to square the carrot off first, which is the part that makes it possible.
Knife Skills Reference Guide
Ours is built as a lookup rather than a read. You browse the common culinary cuts — julienne, brunoise, chiffonade and the rest — each with its typical dimensions and the dishes it is normally used for, so the answer is one glance rather than one scroll. It runs entirely in your browser.
The honest limitation: it is text and dimensions, with no photographs and no video. Knife work is a physical skill, and nothing written teaches the grip, the claw, or the rocking motion. If you have never made a julienne, watch WebstaurantStore’s video first and use ours afterwards for the numbers.
Which one to pick
- If you are learning the cuts from scratch, use WebstaurantStore for the video.
- If you want the professional context behind the terms, read the Michelin Guide.
- If you want a citable dimension quickly, Wikipedia’s list is fine.
- If you want a fast lookup of dimensions and uses while you cook, use ours.
How to do it with Knife Skills Reference Guide
- Open the Knife Skills Reference Guide.
- Find the cut your recipe named.
- Check the dimensions and the typical uses, then square your vegetable off before cutting — every regular cut starts from a flat, stable surface. More kitchen references are in the tools directory.
You might also need
- Recipe Yield Converter — when the prep list has to serve a different number.
- Countdown Timer — for the blanching that usually follows fine prep.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free knife cuts reference that doesn’t need an account?
Yes — all three linked references are freely readable, and Wikipedia requires no account. Ours needs no account either, because the site has no signup at all.
What is the difference between julienne and brunoise?
They are the same cut at different stages. Julienne produces thin matchsticks; brunoise is julienne turned a quarter turn and diced, giving small cubes. If your julienne is even, your brunoise will be too.
Do the dimensions actually matter?
For even cooking, yes. Pieces of different sizes in the same pan finish at different times, which is why a rough dice gives you both mushy and crunchy carrot in one spoonful. For presentation on a plate, uniformity is most of the effect.
Final thought
Learn the derivation, not the list. Once you know that the small cubes are just the sticks diced, eight terms collapse into three motions.