Level Up - Chiffonade
Level Up Your Cooking Skills with a Chef's Chiffonade Cut
Level Up is a new series from Bon Appétit Management Company focused on cooking techniques that our chefs use every day to elevate their from-scratch dishes — and you can, too! Read the tips, watch the video, and try the recipes. We’re collecting all of the Level Up installments here.
Create delicate ribbons of leafy vegetables or herbs with this easy-to-master knife skill.
A chiffonade of basil makes an elegant garnish on a plate of pasta, while a chiffonade of mint adds a pop of color and fresh aroma to fruit salad. This method not only looks pretty, it helps you cut the greens and herbs with a clean edge without bruising them — preserving more flavor. Stack leaves into a short pile on a cutting board and roll the pile into a cylinder, then slice thinly crosswise. You’ll have a miniature mountain of fine ribbons to grace the top of a pasta dish, add elegance to a salad, or stir into a soup or sauce. Pro tip: The sharper your knife the better. Delicate leaves can bruise under a dull blade resulting in a floppy, discolored chiffonade and a slight bitter taste.
Our Recipes Using the Chiffonade Technique
Seared Black Cod and Succotash with Lemon Parsley Oil
A sprinkle of chiffonaded herbs like basil and parsley takes this fish dish to new flavor heights.
Balsamic Butternut Squash with Parsley
Top roasted vegetables like sweet butternut squash with a savory dash of chiffonaded herbs before serving.
Wheat Berry Bowl with Almonds, Chicken, and Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette
A hearty grain bowl crowned with a scattering of chiffonade-cut fresh herbs makes an otherwise plain dish pop with flavor.
Links We Love
- Stack, roll, and slice. See The Kitchn’s visual guide to the perfect chiffonade cut for fresh basil leaves.
- Not sure of the difference between chiffonade and julienne? Learn the basics of knife techniques in this comprehensive cut guide.
- A chiffonade cut isn’t just for herbs. Any leafy green can be tasty cut into small slices, like this chiffonade collard-greens salad from Bon Appetit magazine (no relation).