Many recipes, such as dips and sauces, require very small pieces of uniformly cut food called a mince.
The primary reason for this small size is to infuse flavor. The more cuts made in a food more flavor cells are exposed. Quick cooking techniques, such as a panfrying or cooking in a wok, benefit from mincing vegetables, especially aromatics like garlic, shallot or chili peppers, to maximize flavor.
Try our recipe for Guacamole, which uses minced garlic, red onions and jalapeño.
Watch the How to Mince Video.
Great video Trish! I learned some new tips today! Thanks!!!
Thanks so much – we’re working hard to make these videos user friendly!
Great video!
I usually treat a garlic like I would a shallot or onion. But using a pairing knife to make the horizontal and vertical cuts and then finish with the chefs knife. Same results
Thanks, Barry!
Yes, that’s the professional way to mince garlic. Over the years, though, of teaching novices, I have found this to be a more “user friendly” method that they adapt to quickly. Working with that tiny clove and two knives can be intimidating and what we’re trying hard to do is make cooking approachable and fun.
Thanks for watching, I hope you like what’s coming soon!
Trish