Mince

Mincing is a knife technique used to cut food into very small pieces, usually finer than a standard chop or dice. It is commonly used for garlic, shallots, ginger, herbs, chillies and other ingredients that need to distribute evenly through a preparation or release flavour quickly.

How to mince ingredients

1. Trim and stabilize the ingredient on a clean cutting board.
2. Slice or cut it into narrow strips where appropriate.
3. Turn or gather the strips and cut across them into small pieces.
4. Use a controlled rocking motion to refine the pieces if a finer mince is required.
5. Gather and repeat only as needed to achieve the intended size.

Common uses for minced ingredients

Minced garlic and shallot are used in sauces, dressings, marinades and sautés. Minced herbs are used in fine garnishes, compound butters and herb sauces. Minced chillies can distribute heat more evenly through a dish.

Mince versus chop and purée

Mince means cutting into very small pieces. Chop generally produces larger or less uniform pieces. Purée breaks ingredients down into a smooth or nearly smooth preparation using a blender, food processor or other tool.

Chef’s tip: Use a sharp knife and keep the ingredient dry where possible. Repeatedly crushing garlic with a knife can create a paste rather than a clean mince, which may be desirable in some recipes but not others.

Key distinction: Mincing produces very small pieces while retaining the ingredient’s particulate structure; it is not the same as blending or puréeing.