Which knife cut is a 1/2 inch cube?

• A. Baton
• B. Small Dice
• C. Julienne
• D. Medium Dice

Answer: (D)

Knife cuts are standardized to control cooking time and texture by piece size. A 1/2 inch cube is the medium dice cut. This size gives evenly sized pieces that cook at the same rate and have a consistent mouthfeel in dishes. The pieces are cube-shaped with about 1/2 inch on each side, which balances surface area and interior heat for even browning and tenderness.

For context, a julienne cut yields thin matchsticks about 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches long, not cubes. The batonnet or baton cut produces longer rectangular sticks roughly 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch by about 2 inches. Small dice are smaller cubes, about 1/4 inch on each side. So a 1/2 inch cube fits the medium dice size.