Mincing is the smallest knife cut that chefs use, macerating ingredients into tiny pieces that are often intended for specific garnishes and sautés. As Escoffier Online Culinary Arts Chef Instructor Anthony Frazier puts it, Typically when mincing, chefs cut in a rocking motion using the natural curvature on the belly of the knife while leaving the tip of the knife on the cutting board and manipulating the heel of the knife to mince the product into fine cuts.

Mincing is useful for aromatics like garlic and ginger along with other aromatic root vegetables. These ingredients are made so tiny that they usually break down quickly into what you’re cooking, yielding an abundance of flavor and enticing aroma.

An alternative to the mince would be a fine Brunoise, which is standardized to very small 1/16 inch cubes.