Just The Tip: How To Dice an Onion

My first few weeks at Le Cordon Bleu were terrifying in many respects. First and foremost, I was not merrily roasting chickens and drinking wine all day, which came as quite the shock. Instead, there was an unreasonable amount of fish gutting, yelling, and a general expectation that I had basic knife skills (although I wasn’t sure why given that I had signed up for “BASIC Cuisine”). Plus, my chef’s jacket gave me uniboob, I realized that I did not, in fact, speak French, and everyone else in the class seemed light years ahead of me in terms of culinary experience. Quelle horreur!

I was perpetually sweaty and stressed. (I also routinely forgot to remove my hairnet after school and was known to wander the streets of Paris like a fancy lunch lady.)

However, during those introductory weeks, the chefs were kind enough to break down some key knife skills in the demonstration classes, including how to properly chop/dice/mince an onion. While this lesson was a “refresher” for most of the students, I was enthralled. Having crazily hacked away at the few onions I’d chopped pre-culinary school, I was bowled over by the simplicity and efficiency of the instructor’s technique. It was life-changing, and I had a strong urge to hug someone. (I obviously didn’t. The French hate hugs.)

In case you are on BDE (Before Domestic Era) Serena’s culinary level, I’m passing on this glorious knowledge to you in today’s episode of Just The Tip. Go forth and conquer the onion, friends!