During the cooking process, most ingredients are pre-ground. This is one of the most ancient methods of mechanical processing of products. Initially, people only needed their own teeth to do this. Over time, they learned to make dishes more aesthetically pleasing, using various available means. Each product had its own processing methods. So, you need to know in advance how to cut a cucumber into strips to make delicious salad or For example, we can consider several of the most common options.

Regular method

In most cases, housewives, when deciding how to cut a cucumber into strips, choose the simplest method. Such work is usually done in two stages:

1. First of all, washed vegetables must be cut into slices. This can be done with a sharp knife or using a regular shredder. There is no need to remove the peel first.
2. After this, the finished slices must be stacked in stacks of several pieces and carefully cut in the longitudinal direction. The thickness of each straw should be about two to three millimeters.

This is the most common way to cut a cucumber into strips. It is usually used to prepare simple and In addition, salads consisting of thin strips of vegetables always look stylish, impressive and very appetizing. They are easy to mix, filling with various sauces and dressings. This mixture looks great on a plate and usually takes up very little space.

Simplified version

For those who do not like to spend a lot of time cooking, we can offer the simplest method of how to cut a cucumber into strips. It also includes two stages. True, everything is done much faster and easier:

1. First, cut each vegetable in half. IN in this case It is better to use medium-sized cucumbers. Large specimens usually have large bones, which can spoil appearance finished semi-finished product. You also need to first cut off the “butts” on both sides.
2. Then you should place each half on a cutting board, skin side up, and methodically cut it with a hatchet or knife into even straws.

The disadvantage of this method is that individual strips will have different colour and composition. In general, of course, this is not noticeable. But when a small amount of straw is used, the difference is striking. Although some housewives believe that the combination of unequal stripes has its own zest.

Japanese cooking

The national cuisine of each country uses its own individual method for preparing some dishes. Thus, Japanese masters know an unusual way to cut a cucumber into strips, for example, for sushi.

In this case, to complete the work you need to take several steps:

1. First, the cucumbers must be washed. There is no need to trim the ends yet.
2. Then the vegetables should be cut into pieces, the length of which should be approximately equal to the width of the cook’s palm. In this case, there will definitely be small pieces left around the edges. They will also be useful for work later.
3. Next, from each piece you need to carefully cut off the peel with a sharp knife about 3 millimeters from the edge. This must be done in a circular manner, holding the tool at an angle.
4. As soon as the peel ends, continue cutting the pulp in the same way without removing the knife. Having reached the core, you can stop working.
5. Place the cut “ribbon” on a board and divide it into several parts.
6. Form a stack so that the pulp is on top and the peel is on the bottom.
7. Carefully cut the product into strips using a sharp instrument (knife or hatchet).

In this case, the workpieces are very smooth and neat.

Minimum length

Some housewives prefer to learn, not by words, how to cut a cucumber into strips. Photos in this case are ideal. With its help, you can clearly see how to perform each action. For example, for preparing many salads, it is preferable to use short cuts. This allows for better mixing of the components. As a result, the finished dish is more uniform.

In the case of cucumber, this can be done as follows:

1. To begin with, the vegetables must be washed. This rule applies to any dishes made from fresh ingredients.
2. Then each cucumber needs to be cut into thin rings. In this case, the knife should be positioned across the length of the product.
3. After this, each ring must be cut into equal strips. It's more like a shredder. To speed up the process, rings can be stacked in small piles of several pieces.

This type of cutting is suitable for any mixture of products. The size of such straws can be adjusted by changing the cutting angle of the original rings.

Dish decoration

In order for a dish to not only be tasty, but also look beautiful on the plate, it is necessary to arrange it correctly. This applies to salads and many side dishes. Relatively fresh vegetables this question is especially relevant. In each individual case, you need to know in advance, for example, how to properly cut a cucumber into strips. This is where special kitchen appliances can come to the rescue. Nowadays, there are many different mechanisms for chopping food that can take on some of the hard housework. Regular chopping can be done using food processors. If it concerns some special forms, then simpler devices can be used. For example, thin cucumber strips can be made using a special grater for preparing carrots in Korean.

You just need to “hew” the vegetable gradually from all sides to the very core. You should get straws in the form of thin shavings. This original side dish will easily decorate almost any meat dish.

Pros: beautiful, appetizing

Disadvantages: no

Beauty should be everywhere...

Any dish, no matter the first or second, salad, dessert, should not only be tasty, but also beautifully decorated. This will help evaluate not only a person’s culinary abilities, but also his design abilities. I can’t really boast about my culinary skills, but I’ve never had any particular difficulties with the presentation of dishes. And so that guests can give you a good rating and remain satisfied after eating, then one cannot take place without the other. IN this review we will talk to you about ways to cut tomatoes and cucumbers, I will tell you about several cool methods.

In general I prefer the regular one classic salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with parsley and garlic. Sometimes I use either vegetable oil or Astoria “Creamy Garlic” or “Onion with Sour Cream” sauce as a filling. It all depends on my mood. I’m a big fan of Astoria’s sauces and each flavor goes with a special dish. But sometimes there is a great desire to cut fresh tomatoes and cucumbers into slices and soak them with salt; usually this feeling matures in nature, when you fry a kebab and use them as an appetizer. In nature, it doesn’t really matter how you cut them, beauty is not a question here, but if you need to welcome guests at home, then you need to use the beautiful engraving of these components.

Method No. 1. Angular cutting. First, cucumber mode. As usual, we cut off the butts on both edges. Next, at an angle of about 60 degrees, cut the cucumbers into oval natural shapes with medium thickness. You can lay them out either in a circle or in a row one on top of the other. Usually I do it in a row, but if there is no room for tomatoes or a large number of them are planned, then it is better to lay out the cucumber slices in a circle. Next we start cutting the tomatoes. We divide the tomato into two parts, also cut off the butt and cut it into slices, which we lay out after the cucumbers. You can't get fancy with tomatoes in this method. Next, pour a little mayonnaise or sauce on one side of the plate, on the other side you can put dill, onion optional. You can also salt cucumbers and tomatoes to taste.

Method No. 2. Decoration. I use this method quite rarely, purely out of mood. Considering that the price of tomatoes and cucumbers has increased sharply this year due to bad weather, it’s not much of a surprise. We cut the cucumbers into flower shapes. To do this, divide the cucumber in half and make an incision at an angle. We make a second cut symmetrically to the center and so on with a herringbone pattern, we get something like a flower. We do the same with the other half of the cucumber. We place our figures on different sides of the plate. Tomatoes can be cut into rings, usually sliced. We lay them out on the sides. Typically, this method is suitable for decorating main salads or dishes and is rarely used internally. This cutting method can often be found in restaurants, so you don’t want to spoil the dish. This is exactly what the chefs are counting on. You can additionally decorate the salad with olives.

Method No. 3. A beautiful snack. When you really can’t wait to try tomatoes and cucumbers, you don’t have to worry too much and resort to this method. We cut off the butts of the cucumbers and cut the cucumber lengthwise into two or four parts, depending on its thickness. Next, we make cuts on the cucumbers so that the salt is better absorbed and salt them. We also cut the tomatoes into two or four parts and also sprinkle with salt. We cook the onions and soak it all up together with the bread and sauce. Who's to say it's not beautiful? Of course, if you really, really want to eat, then there’s really no time for beauty.

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General impression: Beauty has its place in everything

Tags: How beautiful, cut tomatoes, cucumbers, salad with tomatoes and cucumbers

Food should be appetizing, healthy, safe and tasty. In Japan, there is even a special class of culinary specialists for this purpose: their specialty is decorating food. And our housewives (without any courses) can, at home, using a simple knife, create interesting and original snacks by cutting fruits, vegetables and sausage.

As an example, let's try to cut tomatoes and cucumbers beautifully and appetizingly.

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Cutting vegetables

The easiest way to arrange sliced ​​cucumbers and tomatoes is on a flat plate. You can give them a spectacular look using mint leaves, powdered sugar or "tulips" made from apple.

You can beautifully cut cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetables as follows:

• Use a flat dish and make rings of tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet peppers;
• Don't forget to decorate the composition with sprigs of greenery;
• You can continue to imagine and get creative with the dish (for example, cutting tomatoes in the shape of a ladybug).

Carving tomatoes

Carving is the art of decorating dishes. Let's try to decorate a tomato:

• You need to remove the core from the tomato by first cutting it into 2 parts;
• Place a leaf of lettuce on a plate, and on it a ladybug stuffed with pate or cheese;
• The spots and antennae on the back are made using chopped black olives.

In addition, you can also add smoked meats, deli meats and sausage to the cuts.

You can make a very appetizing plate with a side dish if you lay out thin slices of sausage different varieties, and place cucumbers and tomatoes, sprigs of herbs, pieces of carrots and olives next to it - almost any guest will like this design.

PAPILLOTES(French papillote - paper wrapper). Used in restaurant kitchens, paper tubes with various cutouts and scallops are used to hide the ends of animal or poultry bones protruding from the meat. Papillots also play the role of a handle, by which you can hold a portion without getting your hands dirty with fat, and make it easier to cut the portion into smaller pieces.
Papillots first appeared in the 19th century in French restaurant cuisine, from where they quickly spread to many cuisines around the world, incl. and into Russian restaurant cuisine. Curls were especially widely used in Soviet restaurants and in communist Kremlin cuisine.

To decorate fried game, cutlets and chops with bones, and hams on the bone, paper papillots and rosettes are used.
For curl paper, a sheet of paper is folded three times in length, then the edge of the paper 1-1.25 cm wide is folded in and strips are cut evenly across the entire width of the paper with a sharp knife or scissors. The paper is cut into 4 strips, rolled onto a round stick, giving the appearance of a flower, and its ends are folded.
To make a rosette, paper measuring 12:12 cm is folded into 4 layers (in half and in half again), cut obliquely and corrugated using a thin cloth. Then the sharp tip of the rosette is cut off, the rosette is unrolled and put on the curler and on the bone (see below).

"...I have never written about how to cook fish in papillotes. A papillote, dear thickhead, in cooking is a twisted cut piece of paper that is usually put on the bones of cutlets or fried poultry. Well, except that Giedrius managed to cook catfish in a papillote his lady, which was twisted into her hair."
(excerpt from Lithuanian literature of the twentieth century).

Scheme for making the simplest papillot:

1. The paper should not be very thin - printer paper is best.
2. Take thick white paper and cut out a strip about 8 cm long and 4 cm wide.
3. Fold the strip along its middle lengthwise.
4. Cut the folded paper along the fold with scissors into even cuts - you will get something like a fringe.
5. Wrap the cut paper in a spiral around a round stick, the diameter of which coincides with the diameter of the bone.
6. Glue the end of the paper strip with food glue made from brewed starch or flour, or gelatin, or attach it with tape.
NOTE. Although recently, for simplicity, papillots are often glued with tape, but it must be admitted that tape does not fit well with edible products, therefore food glue made from flour or starch, or gelatin is always more preferable.
7. Trim the bottom of the cuff with scissors.
Use ready-made papillots to decorate the bird.
Photo of step-by-step production of a simple curl-up: