Sliced or Diced: A Quick Guide to Commercial Food Prep Cuts.

In most professional kitchens, preparation takes up more time than service itself. Because of this, how food is cut — sliced, diced, grated or julienned — has more impact than many people realise. As a result, the right cutting setup can save time, reduce waste and produce more consistent results across the menu.

Consistency Isn’t Just About Presentation

Uniform cuts don’t just look better on the plate. In practice, they cook more evenly, portion more accurately and help service run more predictably. For that reason, consistency matters whether you’re preparing vegetables for soups, salads, stir-fries or garnishes.

However, relying purely on knives makes consistency difficult, especially when prep is shared between staff or carried out under time pressure.

One Machine, Many Cuts

Commercial vegetable preparation machines use interchangeable cutting discs and grids to produce a wide range of cuts. Instead of relying on manual knife work, changing the accessory allows the same machine to slice, grate, julienne, chip or dice ingredients to suit different dishes.

For example, common applications include:

Slicing onions, tomatoes, potatoes and other vegetables

Grating cheese, carrots or cabbage

Julienne or baton cuts for chips, fries and stir-fries

Dicing vegetables for soups, stews and salads

Are There Standard Cutting Thicknesses?

While availability varies by machine, most cutting discs follow broadly recognised size standards. This means kitchens can achieve predictable results and select the right cut more confidently.

Typically, measurements are used as follows:

1–2 mm – very fine slicing for garnishes and delicate vegetables

3–4 mm – thin slicing, commonly used for onions, cucumbers and tomatoes

5–6 mm – medium slicing for gratins and layered dishes

8 mm – a standard starting point for traditional chips, balancing a crisp outside with a fluffy centre

10–12 mm – thick-cut chips or chunky batons

14 mm and above – large batons or wedges with a rustic finish

Similarly, dicing sizes tend to mirror slicing measurements:

8 mm dice – suitable for soups, stews and mixed vegetables

10–12 mm dice – better for salads and chunkier prep

In other words, once you know the cut you want on the plate, choosing the correct disc becomes far more straightforward.

Speed Without Losing Control

Mechanical cutting significantly reduces prep time, particularly for larger volumes. More importantly, cut size is set by the disc or grid rather than the individual operator.

As a result, this leads to fewer offcuts, more even cooking and more consistent portions during service.

Getting More from the Same Ingredients

Many menus use the same vegetables in different ways. For instance, potatoes might be chipped for service, sliced for layered dishes and diced for soups. Carrots may be sliced, julienned or grated depending on the dish.

Because of this, being able to change the cut quickly allows kitchens to use ingredients more efficiently without increasing prep time.

Compatibility Matters

Cutting discs and grids are not universal. Therefore, sizes, fixing systems and drive types vary between machines, and compatibility should always be checked before adding accessories.

In reality, most kitchens don’t need every option available. A small number of well-chosen cuts usually covers the majority of day-to-day prep.

Bringing It Back to Your Menu

Ultimately, the right cutting setup isn’t about having every disc available. Instead, it’s about understanding how your menu works in practice.

To start with, look at what you prep most often, how frequently you do it, and where time is being lost. From there, the choice of discs and accessories usually becomes clear.