To Shred, Julienne and Chiffonade

You can shred cabbage by hand or with a vegetable slicer. To cut vegetables into julienne, thinly slice the vegetables, stack the slices and slice them again. The size and thickness of the julienne is determined by how thick you make the slices.

Plastic vegetable slicers and mandolines have julienne attachments, but most only offer one or two sizes which never seem to be the right one, and it can be very difficult to force a vegetable through the many tiny blades. It's generally better to slice the vegetable on the slicer and then julienne the slices by hand.

To cut herbs or leafy vegetables into chiffonade, stack the leaves, a few at a time, roll into tight little cylinders, and finely slice them. Because some leafy herbs, such as basil, which will turn dark when sliced, toss them with a few drops of olive oil to protect them from the air and to slow down the darkening process.