How to Mince a Shallot
What You'll Need
- Sharpened knife
- Cutting board
- Shallot, peeled
Instructions
- Peel the shallot by removing its papery skin. You may then remove the top and barely trim the root end away. This should create a flat side that can be used to lay on the cutting board.
- Grip the knife with your middle, ring and pinky fingers around the handle. Clasp your thumb and forefinger on each side of the blade's base to control cutting. Curl the fingertips of your other hand on top of the shallot to keep it in place.
- To make parallel cuts, place the blade close to the root end without going through it. The root will hold your initial slices together and make the process easier. Using a forward and downward motion, proceed to slice the shallot into thin strips.
- Rotate the shallot 90° and place the tip of the blade down onto the board. Use the back of the blade to make a rocking motion that will make perpendicular cuts.
- As the shallot becomes narrow and difficult to hold, turn it on its freshly-cut side and continue cutting as above.
- Sweep the blade across the board to gather the shallot pieces into a pile. Chop the blade over the pile repeatedly to reduce the pieces into tinier cubes.
- To create an even finer mince, hold the knife parallel to yourself and use the handle to cut with the back of the blade. Simply utilize an up and down motion to run the blade over the pieces.
Finished Minced Shallot
References
Trash
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Meet Our Experts
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Eric Crowley
Eric Crowley is chef and owner of the Culinary Classroom in Los Angeles. Crowley studied at the Culinary Institute of America and trained under master chefs in Barcelona and Munich before he began teaching culinary arts in 1996. He has been featured on several Los Angeles television shows, including Good Day LA, E! Entertainment, and Your LA. Crowley has donated thousands of dollars of cooking classes to Los Angeles schools and charities, and is a mentor for the Culinary Institute of America.
More About Shallots
- Develop in clusters similar to Garlic
- Often used in French cooking
- Name reportedly comes from "Ashkelon," a city in the ancient Levanthttp://www.chow.com/ingredients/94
