Macédoine (Medium Dice)

Applied primarily to firm vegetables (carrots, turnips, French beans, peas) for savory macédoine, and to firm fruits (apples, pears, melon, pineapple, strawberries) for macédoine de fruits. The cut always begins from a squared vegetable block reduced first to 1 cm planks, then to 1 cm batonnet-width sticks (1 cm × 1 cm × 6 cm), then cross-cut at 1 cm intervals.

1. 1Square off the vegetable into a rectangular parade block using a chef's knife.
2. 2Slice 1 cm planks parallel to the longest face of the block.
3. 3Stack the planks, align their edges, and cut lengthwise to produce 1 cm × 1 cm × 6 cm batonnet sticks.
4. 4Cross-cut the sticks at 1 cm intervals to yield 1 cm cubes.
5. 5For savory macédoine: cook each vegetable separately in well-salted boiling water until just tender (carrots 5–7 min, turnips 4–5 min, beans 3–4 min, peas 2 min), then refresh in ice water and drain.
6. 6For macédoine de légumes: dress while warm with a small amount of vinaigrette, then bind with mayonnaise once cooled.
7. 7For macédoine de fruits: combine cut fruit with a light sugar syrup flavoured with lemon juice, kirsch, or Grand Marnier; refrigerate 30–60 minutes before serving.

• The 1 cm intermediate-size batonnet (not the standard 6 mm batonnet) is the specific parent cut here — each batonnet stick is 1 cm × 1 cm in cross-section rather than 6 mm.
• Cook each vegetable separately when making the classic mixed macédoine — different densities mean different cooking times, and a shared pot produces uneven results.
• Slightly undercook all vegetables by 30 seconds before refreshing; residual heat finishes the cook and the vegetables continue to soften as they cool.
• For fruit macédoine, add delicate fruits (berries, kiwi, banana) last, just before serving, to prevent bruising and discolouration.

• Parmentier (large dice, 2 cm)

  The next size up; use when a more rustic, hearty vegetable presence is desired or for roasting applications.

• Brunoise (3 mm)

  For preparations requiring a very fine vegetable texture — sauces, compound butters — where macédoine would be too large.

• Batonnet (6 mm stick)

  Parent cut left in stick form; appropriate for crudité where the stick format is preferred over the cube.

• Batonnet

  6 mm × 6 mm × 6 cm — the standard batonnet that is cross-cut to produce small dice (6 mm) and medium dice (1 cm when using a 1 cm batonnet).

• Large Dice (Parmentier)

  2 cm cube; next size above macédoine in the French hierarchy, associated with potato preparations (pommes parmentier).

• Brunoise

  3 mm cube; two sizes smaller than macédoine, used for sauces and consommé garnishes.

• Jardinière

  4 mm × 4 mm × 2 cm baton cut for mixed vegetable garnish; a close cousin of macédoine in application.

1. 1.The Professional Chef, 9th ed. — The Culinary Institute of America (Wiley, 2011)
2. 2.Larousse Gastronomique — Prosper Montagné, ed. (Larousse, 2009)
3. 3.Jacques Pépin: New Complete Techniques — Jacques Pépin (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2012)
4. 4.Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery — Auguste Escoffier (Wiley, 2011)

Confidence: high