How to Matchstick Cut
This maneuver neatly reduces bumpy, bulbous, and otherwise wildly irregular vegetables into tidy strips of uniform size and shape that resemble—what else? Matchsticks.
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You Will Need
- A chef's knife
- A cutting board
- And a vegetable to cut
Steps
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Step 1
Wash & peel
Wash and peel the vegetable, if necessary.
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Step 2
Grasp knife
Grasp the knife in your dominant hand, holding the handle close to the blade with three fingers: your middle, ring, and pinkie. Curl your forefinger around one side of the blade while holding your thumb on the opposite side.
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Step 3
Hold vegetable
With your non-knife-wielding hand, hold the vegetable firmly on the cutting board close to the area you will cut.
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Curl your fingers so that the tips are firmly planted on the vegetable and the knuckles point outward—in the food world, this is called the "claw grip."
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Step 4
Cut off ends
Cut off the ends of the vegetable.
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Keep an empty bowl next to your cutting board so you can place the trimmings in there instead of running back and forth to the garbage can.
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Step 5
Cut crosswise
Cut the vegetable crosswise into 2-inch segments.
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Step 6
Cut off sides
Cut off the sides of one section. It should now resemble a block with 4 long flat surfaces—this will make it easier to cut uniform pieces.
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Step 7
Slice into slabs
Slice the segments lengthwise into 1/8 inch-thick slabs.
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Keep the point of the knife on the board and use a steady rocking motion to slice—not saw—the vegetable with the full length of the blade.
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Step 8
Stack & slice
Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice them again into 1/8 inch-wide sticks. What remains should resemble a pile of... you guessed it.
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The wooden matchstick industry was a powerful political presence in 19th-century Europe, before the advent of electricity.
