Dicing – “Ciseler”

Ciseler is a French culinary cutting technique term for finely dicing onions and shallots. The size of the dice will depend on how much space you leave between the cuts. For 0.5 cm cubes, make the cut every 0.5 cm.

To chop small, leave the root end almost intact, then peel away the skin from the top end.

Next, make cuts vertically from the root end but leaving the root intact to hold it together.

Then make horizontal cuts across the vertical cuts whilst you hold on to the root end firmly.

Make a second horizontal cut the same width as the first, and a third depending on the size of the onion and the desired dice size.

For the last step, the distance between cuts will determine how fine a dice you make.

Flip the onion flat on the board when it is no longer comfortable to hold and slide again until you reach the “wood”. The root end can be discarded.

Safety: The position of the finger of the hand which is holding the onion is very important. Watch your fingers!