Techniques
Batonnet

Knife Skills

Batonnet

Cut into tidy sticks, thicker than julienne — think classic fries

Batonnet cuts food into uniform sticks, larger than julienne, the size of a classic French fry. It's the cut for crudités and pommes frites, and the starting point for a medium dice. Square off the vegetable first so every stick comes out the same length and thickness.

Batonnet is the classical stick cut — uniform sticks larger than a julienne, roughly the size of a thick French fry (traditionally about 6 mm square and 5–6 cm long). It's the cut behind pommes frites and crudités, and the starting point for a medium dice (cut a batonnet crosswise and you get cubes). As with all the classical cuts, the secret is squaring off the vegetable first so every stick comes out the same length and thickness, which means even cooking and a clean, intentional look.

Difficulty
Intermediate

Types & varieties

Pommes frites

Potato batonnet cut to fry size for classic French fries.

Crudité sticks

Carrot, celery, and cucumber batonnet for dipping.

Batonnet for medium dice

Sticks cut crosswise into uniform medium cubes.

How to do it

  1. 1

    Square off the vegetable

    Trim the rounded sides into a clean rectangular block so the sticks come out uniform.

  2. 2

    Cut even planks

    Slice the block into planks about 6 mm thick — the width of your target stick.

  3. 3

    Stack the planks

    Lay the planks flat and stack a few to cut efficiently.

  4. 4

    Slice into sticks

    Cut down through the stack at 6 mm intervals to make even sticks.

  5. 5

    Trim to length

    Cut the sticks to a consistent length, around 5–6 cm.

  6. 6

    Use or dice further

    Cook the sticks as is, or cut them crosswise into a tidy medium dice.

Why square off first

Squaring the vegetable into a clean block before cutting is what makes batonnet (and brunoise and dice) uniform. Round, tapered edges produce uneven, oddly shaped sticks that cook at different rates and look haphazard. Trimming to a block wastes a little (save it for stock), but it's the difference between a precise, even cut and a ragged one. From a clean batonnet, a medium dice is just one more set of crosswise cuts.

Common uses

French fries (pommes frites)Crudités for dippingStir-fry vegetables with biteBase cut for a medium diceRoasted vegetable sticksVegetable batons for braising

Tips & pitfalls

  • Square off the vegetable for uniform sticks and even cooking.
  • Save the trimmings for stock or purée.
  • Keep planks and sticks stacked neatly for fast, even cuts.
  • Soak potato batonnet in cold water before frying for crisper fries.
  • A batonnet is your shortcut to a clean medium dice.

Good to know

Cut size
Sticks ~6 mm square, ~5–6 cm long (thicker than julienne)
Best for
Fries, crudités, and as the base for a medium dice
Starts from
Squared-off planks cut into sticks
Grip
Claw grip; square the vegetable first
Leads to
A medium dice when cut crosswise

Also called

stick cut · baton

Dishes that rely on it

Belgian Frites

Belgian Frites

The Canon

Related

Julienne

Julienne

Cut into thin matchsticks for fast cooking and elegant garnish

Medium Dice

Medium Dice

Cutting food into uniform cubes about one centimeter on each side for even cooking.

Frying

Frying

Cooking food in hot fat, from a light coat to a full skillet, for crispness and flavor.

Braising

Braising

Searing then slow-cooking food in a little liquid until fork-tender and richly flavored.