Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CANDON CITY
Candon City, Ilocos Sur

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING

Quarter 2 – Week 1-2 - Module 1:
Prepared by: Cristina G. Dacumos

Lesson
Peeling, Slicing and Cutting of
1 Fruits and Vegetables
I. OBJECTIVES:
1. Define the terms slicing, peeling, and cutting.
2. Describe the five methods of peeling.
3. Identify the different basic knife cuts.
4. Illustrate the different basic knife cuts.
5. Value the importance of doing proper cuts.
(TLE_AFFP10-12SC-Ivc-d-2)

II. GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. What is meant is slicing, peeling, and cutting?
2. What are the five methods of peeling?
3. What are the basic knife cuts or cutting techniques?
4. Why do we have to cut the fruits and vegetables in a proper way?

III. DISCUSSION:
Great day everyone! Welcome to ou class in TLE Food Processing for the Second
Quarter, Module 1. In this module, you will be able to prepare raw materials thru the process
of peeling, slicing, and cutting.

SLICING refers to cutting food into broad or flat thin pieces.

PEELING is used in the processing of many fruits and vegetables to remove unwanted or
inedible material, and to improve the appearance of the final product.

FIVE MAIN METHODS OF PEELING

1. Flash steam peeling. Flash steam peeling is generally used for root crops, where in the
raw material is fed in batches into a pressure vessel which is rotated at 4-6rpm. High-
pressure steam is introduced and all food surfaces are exposed to the steam by the
 rotation of the vessel for a predetermined time, which differs according to the
type of food.

2. Knife peeling. In knife peeling, fruits and vegetables are pressed against stationary or
rotating blades to remove the skin. Knife peeling is used for fruits that have skin that
can be easily removed with little damage. Knife peeling is particularly suitable for citrus
fruits where the skin is easily removed by pressing the stationary blades against the
surface of rotating fruits or vegetables.

3. Abrasion peeling. In abrasion peeling, food is fed onto carborundum rollers or placed
into a rotating bowl, which is lined with carborundum. The abrasive surface removes
the skin, which is continuously washed with running water. The main advantages of
this method include low energy costs since this operates at room temperature, no heat
damage, low capital costs and a good surface appearance of the product.

4. Caustic peeling. Caustic peeling uses a dilute solution of sodium hydroxide (lye)
heated to 100-120°C. Food is dipped in 10% sodium hydroxide and the softened skin
is removed with rubber disks or rollers. These processes reduce water consumption and
product losses and give a concentrated skin waste which can be disposed of easily.

5. Flame peeling. Flame peeling is generally used for products like onion and garlic,
which have an outer “paper shell‟. In this method, peeler consists of a conveyor belt
which carries and rotates the food through a furnace heated to 1000°C.

CHOPPING means to cut food into (more or less) bite-sized pieces using the quick, heavy
blows of a knife. If a recipe calls for something to be finely chopped, the pieces should be
smaller than bite sized, and if it calls for roughly chopped, they should be slightly bigger.

Why Proper Cuts are Important?

Most people overlook the importance of proper knife cut techniques. The first reason
is uniformity. Take a carrot, for instance. It goes from very fat to very thin and most people
will use a coin cut to slice it. This leaves very large and very small pieces in relation to itself.
Why is this important? Large pieces take longer to cook (Especially when it comes to carrots).
Uniformity in cutting ensures that you have even, predictable cooking times.

BASIC KNIFE CUTS

1. BATONNET
In French, “batonnet” means “little stick”. The batonnet cut
measures 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch on the sides and about 2-3
inches long. First, cut 1/4 inch slabs, stack those on top of
each other, and then cut into 1/4 inch sticks.

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING - Page 2 of 7

2. JULIENNE/ MATCHSTICK / ALUMETTE
The Julienne cut, or matchstick (alumette in French), is
called that because, well, it looks like a matchstick. Many
use the Julienne as the starting point for the brunoise cut.
The cut measures 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch and is about 1-2
inches long. Use the exact same method as cutting a
batonnet. The julienne cut is perfect for salads and slaws.

3. LARGE DICE
The large dice is ideal for foods like hearty stews, soups, or
roasted root vegetables. The cut measures 3/4 inches on all
sides. Start by cutting a larger version of the batonnet and
then cubing it off.

4. MEDIUM DICE
The medium dice is the perfect cut for soups, ratatouille, or
shakshuka. The cut measures 1/2 inches on each side.

5. SMALL DICE
The small dice is the kind of cut you want when making a
mirepoix (or that mixture you saute that includes carrots,
onions, and celery). The evenness of the cut will ensure
even cooking and flavor distribution. The cut measures 1/4
inches on each side. The starting point for this cut is the
batonnet.
6. BRUNOISE
To make a brunoise cut, start with a julienne. The brunoise
is one of those cuts that works well for peppers and onions.
The brunoise will give you the most flavor and kick. This
cut measures 1/8 inch on all sides.

7. FINE BRUNOISE
A fine brunoise is the standard cut in French cooking.
Typically, this cut is applied to include carrots, leeks,
celery, onion, potatoes, and sometimes turnip. The cut
measures 1/16 inches on all sides.

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING - Page 3 of 7

8. MINCE
Finer than a fine brunoise. The tiniest of dices, the mince
cubes something really, small to all get out. You’ll
normally see recipes calling for minced garlic or minced
onions and if you don’t have a Garlic Cube handy, then
you’ll need some good knife skills.

9. CHIFFONADE
Take leaves from your veggie or herb of choice (like
spinach, basil, or sage) and roll them into a cigar shape. Cut
horizontally into thin strips. This technique is typically
used for garnish, but also works well to finely shred kale or
other crunchier greens for soups, salads, or slaws.
10. RONDELLE
Simply glide your knife through your vegetable trying to
keep every slice consistent. You can use a mandoline to
easily create thin, uniform slices.

11. BIAS
The "bias-cut" is a technique used by designers for cutting
clothing to utilize the greater stretch in the bias or diagonal
direction of the fabric, thereby causing it to accentuate
body lines and curves and drape softly.

12. PAYSANNE
Paysanne is a French term that is used to describe the way
vegetables are cut. They are usually cut very thin and cut
in the form of the vegetable being cut.

IV. EXAMPLES:

Flame Peeling Caustic Peeler machine

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING - Page 4 of 7

 Abrasion peeling machine Steam Peeling machine Knife peeling

V. GENERALIZATION:
Let us summarize the important points you learned from this module. You learned the
five methods of peeling such as flash steam, knife, abrasion, caustic, and flame peeling.
Uniformity is main reason why we need to cut fruits and vegetables properly.
Also, you learned the different knife cuts such as batonnet, julliene, large dice, medium
dice, small dice, brunoise, mince, chiffonade, rondelle, bias and paysanne.

VI. EXERCISES:
Exercise 1: Identify the basic knife cuts.
2. 3.
4.
1.

5. 8.

6. 7.

Exercise 2: Write the five (5) methods of Peeling.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING - Page 5 of 7

Exercise 3: Draw the twelve (12) basic knife cuts.

VII. REFERENCES:
n.d.
n.d. https://www.e-tesda.gov.ph/mod/book/view.php?id=353&chapterid=902.
n.d.
http://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/epgpdata/uploads/epgp_content/food_technology/technolog
y_of_fruits_and_vegetables/10.preparatory_operations_in__fruits_and_vegetables/et/
2841_et_m10.pdf.
n.d. https://www.rsvp-intl.com/knowing-knife-cuts/.
n.d. CBLM Food Processing NCII.

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING - Page 6 of 7

TLE 10 FOOD PROCESSING - Page 7 of 7
EXERCISE 1
1. BATONNET
2. LARGE DICE
3. SMALL DICE
4. FINE BRUNOISE
5. JULIENNE
6. MEDIUM DICE
7. BRUNOISE
8. MINCE
EXERCISE 2
1. Flash steam peeling
2. Knife peeling
3. Abrasion peeling
4. Caustic peeling
5. Flame peeling
VIII. ANSWER KEY: