How to: Chiffonade Greens

We’re doing something a little different over here today. I’ve been taking a lot of cooking classes lately, for inspiration and to learn how to do culinary school-type things. Because let’s be honest, I probably would’ve gone to culinary school if I could’ve. But I have so many damn food allergies and intolerances it would be nearly impossible for me to get through school. You can’t learn to cook without tasting the food you make!

So these cooking classes are filling that void. And I’m learning so many cool things, I figured I would share them with you guys too!

So let’s learn something cool and chef-fy with these beautiful greens.

A chiffonade cut its used for long, leafy greens like kale, chard, or bok choy. You can also do this with basil to make it look pretty as a garnish.

And now you might be saying, um, hello. What do I even use this for? Any time you’re making greens that you don’t want dribbling all over your chin because they’re cut so big and uneven that you’re struggling really badly to eat them. It also ensures your vegetables cook evenly! Because nobody wants a bite of raw kale and a bite of way overcooked kale. Um, gross.

Let’s get fancy and learn something: the Chiffonade cut!

1. Roll the leaf up lengthwise, beginning at one end with a small roll, until the entire leaf is together.

2. Hold the end with one hand and hold your knife in the other. Make even cuts through the entire leaf, down to the stem.

3. Take your knife and make one cut straight through the middle – this will ensure you don’t have any long, spaghetti-like pieces of greens hanging out of your mouth when you eat them!

And voila, chiffonade greens! Oh you fancy, huh.

Stay tuned later this week for an awesome recipe using these fancy greens!

Or, if you’re impatient like me, try these recipes on for size with your new knife skills!

Tomato balsamic salad with basil chiffonade 

Basil lemonade. perfect for summer!

Balsamic-basil roasted beets.