How to Mince a Shallot

Introduce

Chef :

Ryan Goodwin

How to Mince a Shallot

A lot of chefs still use this as a way of evaluating a prospective employee's knife skills. It can take a little practice. The challenge is to not waste half of your shallot.

Ingredient

Cooking time :

1 minute

1 each

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Make sure your knife is very sharp.

* Step 2

Slice a bit off the tip opposite the root end.

* Step 3

Slice the shallot into two halves at it's widest plane. Just like a hamburger bun.

* Step 4

Here's the tough part. With the split halves placed cut-side down, cut as many parallel slits, perpendicular to the root tip, as possible, but do not slice far enough to remove any pieces from the main body. Tough to explain, but hopefully the images will help.

* Step 5

Now, with your blade parallel to your work surface, cut as many slits as possible into the face of the shallot, again being careful to not slice enough to separate any pieces from the main body.

* Step 6

What you should have now is basicallya grid pattern sliced into your shallot. To finish, just chop finely, moving from the sliced end to the root tip. The result should be little cubes of shallot. Great to start a Sautée or add a little flavor to a vinaigrette.

Note: if there is a photo you can click to enlarge it