dice
dys
/daɪs/
To cut food into small, uniform, square-shaped cubes.
Dicing is a precise knife skill where uniformity is key to ensure that all pieces cook at exactly the same rate.
The story behind the word. Before it was a cooking verb, 'dice' referred exclusively to the small cubes used in gambling. The word comes from the Latin 'datum,' meaning 'something thrown or given.' In the culinary world, chefs adopted the term because the perfectly square cuts of vegetables looked exactly like the gaming cubes rolled on tavern tables.
Word relationships
- cube: Cubing refers to cutting food into medium-to-large square pieces, whereas dicing specifically refers to small, highly precise cubes.
- chop: Chopping is casual and does not require uniform sizes or shapes, whereas dicing demands geometric precision.
- puree: Pureeing grinds or blends food into a completely smooth, liquid-like paste, the opposite of solid, structured cubes.
Commonly confused with
- mince: Mincing cuts food into the smallest possible pieces (almost a paste), while dicing leaves distinct, recognizable cubes.
Word family
- diced (adjective): Cut into small, uniform cubes.
- dicing (noun): The act of cutting food into small cubes.
Collocations
- finely dice
- dice into cubes
- diced tomatoes
- neatly dice
Idioms & expressions
- slice and dice (to analyze or break down data into small parts)
Example sentences
- "Carefully dice the tomatoes and red onions into tiny, even cubes before mixing them with the cilantro." A recipe instruction for making a fresh salsa.
- "The chef rejected the prep cook's work because the potatoes were not diced to the precise quarter-inch specifications." A description of prep work in a restaurant.
Memory hook
Picture a vegetable cut so perfectly that you could use the pieces to play a game of Monopoly—each piece is a perfect little 'die' (singular of dice). Cut it like a gambling cube.
When not to use
Do not use when cutting food into rough, irregular pieces (which is 'chopping') or long, thin strips (which is 'julienning').
Fun facts
- In professional French culinary arts, a standard medium dice is called 'macedoine,' while a very small dice is called 'brunoise.'
Related words
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