How to Cut Potatoes (2024)

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Learn how to cut potatoes into wedges, fries, cubes, and slices in this step-by-step tutorial with video. Then, use them for soup and stew, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, or your other favorite recipes!

How to Cut Potatoes (1)

Potatoes are such a versatile food. There are several varieties that all taste delicious in recipes. You can slice, dice, and mash them and serve them boiled, fried, or baked. The possibilities are endless!

If you want to experience all that these starchy tubers have to offer, you have to learn how to cut potatoes first. This post has everything you need to know about cutting potatoes into different shapes for all of your cooking needs.

Jump to:
  • Wedges
  • Fries
  • Cubes (Diced)
  • Slices
  • Julienne
  • How to Store Potatoes After Cutting
  • Potato Recipes
  • Video
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Wedges

Any potato can be cut into wedges, but yellow, Yukon gold, and red potatoes tend to be the perfect size for cutting wedges. To start, scrub the potato clean. If you prefer to peel your potatoes, do so now. Then, cut the potato in half lengthwise.

How to Cut Potatoes (2)

Next, cut each half lengthwise into quarters to make 4 wedges per half (8 per potato). For very large potatoes, you may be able to get 6 wedges per half.

How to Cut Potatoes (3)

If you want to cut potatoes for mashed potatoes, follow the first step here of halving the potatoes. Then, instead of quartering each half lengthwise, quarter crosswise to get chunks of potato to boil then mash (make a cross with your knife on each half of the potato). Use the same technique when preparing potatoes for potato salad.

Fries

Russet potatoes are my favorite type to cut into fries, but you can use most types of potatoes with this method. Begin by scrubbing the potato clean and peeling if desired. Then, cut the potato lengthwise into ½-inch thick slices.

How to Cut Potatoes (4)

Stack some of the slices (or “slabs”) on top of each other. Cut lengthwise into fries about ½-inch wide.

How to Cut Potatoes (5)

Cubes (Diced)

To dice a potato, first cut it into fries following the above instructions. Then, cut the fries crosswise into ½-inch cubes for a medium dice. For a small dice, cut into ¼-inch cubes, and for a large dice, cut into ¾-inch cubes. This is the best way to cut potatoes for soups and stews.

How to Cut Potatoes (6)

Slices

Sliced potatoes are great for making scalloped potatoes, other types of potato bakes, and pizzas. You can slice any kind of potato into circles. First, scrub clean and peel if desired. Then, slice the potato crosswise into pieces of your desired thickness.

How to Cut Potatoes (7)

Julienne

Potatoes that have been prepared with the julienne technique are skinny pieces about 1/16-inch wide and 2 to 3 inches long. They are great for cheesy potato recipes, skinny/shoestring French fries, or as an alternative to shredded hashbrowns. Yukon gold, yellow, and red potatoes all work well for using the julienne technique. First, scrub the potato clean. Next, slice off the sides and ends to yield a rectangular piece.

How to Cut Potatoes (8)

Cut the rectangular piece lengthwise into thin pieces about 1/16-inch thick.

How to Cut Potatoes (9)

Stack the pieces on top of each other. Then, slice lengthwise into skinny pieces about 1/16-inch wide.

How to Cut Potatoes (10)

How to Store Potatoes After Cutting

Potatoes are known to brown after being cut, due to being exposed to oxygen. They are still safe to eat even if they change color, but you can preserve their color and keep them fresh with the proper storage technique. Transfer cut potatoes to a bowl or container, fill with water, and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. For best results, use within a day. For another storage technique, see my post on How to Freeze Potatoes.

Potato Recipes

Video

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📖 Recipe

How to Cut Potatoes (11)

How to Cut Potatoes

Learn how to slice and dice potatoes into wedges, cubes, and fries to use in soups, mashed potatoes, and more.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 1

Calories: 164kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 potato

Instructions

  • You can cut most varieties of potatoes using the following techniques. Russet potatoes are particularly good for cutting fries, while Yukon gold, yellow, or red potatoes are good for wedges. Choose whatever variety you prefer.

  • Before cutting the potatoes, scrub them clean under water. Peel if desired.

Wedges

  • Cut the potato in half lengthwise. Then, cut each half lengthwise into quarters for a total of 8 wedges. For larger potatoes, you can cut each half into sixths for more wedges if desired.

Fries

  • Cut lengthwise into slabs about ½-inch thick.

  • Stack some slabs on top of each other. Cut lengthwise into ½-inch wide fries.

Cubes

  • To dice potatoes, follow the instructions for cutting fries.

  • Then, cut the fries crosswise into cubes of your desired size.

Slices

  • Cut the potato crosswise into slices of your desired size.

Julienne

  • Cut off the sides and ends of a potato to yield a rectangular piece of potato. Then, cut the rectangular piece lengthwise into 1/16-inch thick pieces.

  • Stack some of the pieces on top of each other. Cut lengthwise into skinny sticks about 1/16-inch wide.

Video

Notes

  • To store cut potatoes so that they don’t brown, place them in a bowl or container and fill with water. Keep in the fridge for up to a day before using.

Nutrition

Serving: 1potato | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 897mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg

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How to Cut Potatoes (2024)

FAQs

How do you slice potatoes easily? ›

Cut the potato in half lengthwise. Then, cut each half lengthwise into quarters for a total of 8 wedges. For larger potatoes, you can cut each half into sixths for more wedges if desired.

How many ways can you cut a potato? ›

Knowing how to cut potatoes will open up so many recipe doors! Find out how to slice and dice them into 5 different shapes — wedges, fries, cubes, slices, and hasselback.

What are the tips and tricks for potatoes? ›

Do not refrigerate or freeze fresh potatoes before cooking. Colder temperatures lower than 50 degrees cause a potato's starch to convert to sugar, resulting in a sweet taste and discoloration when cooked. There is no need to store your potatoes in a bag; you can store them loose.

What is the best tool for slicing potatoes? ›

Our preference was mandoline slicers that offer sturdy materials like stainless steel or thick glass rather than acrylic or plastic. Safety features: Mandolines have super sharp blades. Any good mandoline slicer should come with a hand guard.

How to slice potatoes with a grater? ›

One of the most overlooked sides of box graters is the slicing side. Some graters come with a single slicer slot, others have three or more. Use this like a mandoline, to slice raw vegetables such as potato, zucchini, cucumber or radish. It's a real timesaver if you're making a potato bake, stirfry or a salad.

What are the different types of potatoes cut? ›

Quarters, dices, wedges, fries and whole-peeled potatoes. Various potato varieties available – russet potatoes, red potatoes, yukon gold and more. All cuts available with and without peel.

What is the easiest way to slice potatoes? ›

Step by Step Instructions
  1. Step 1: Lay the potato on its side and slice off 1 edge. ...
  2. Step 2: Rotate the potato so it's resting on the flat edge and slice 5-6 even slices across the back of the potato. ...
  3. Step 3: Stack 2-4 potato slices (flat side down) and rotate 90 degrees. ...
  4. Step 4: Slice the edge pieces, flat side down.

How do you cut a potato into halves? ›

Instructions
  1. Place the potato on a cutting board, and slice it in half lengthwise.
  2. Place the cut sides down, and slice in half again lengthwise.
  3. Cut each quarter in half lengthwise once or twice more to create wedges.
Nov 11, 2023

What is the etiquette for cutting potatoes? ›

The most common is to slit the top lengthwise with a knife, push on each end of the potato to open it wide, and mash some of the flesh with a fork. An alternative is to slice the potato clean through and lay the halves skin-down side by side.

Why do you soak your potatoes in water as you cut them? ›

A: First let's talk about why cut potatoes need to be immersed in water to begin with. The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.

How do you cut potatoes without sticking to the knife? ›

Pull, don't chop

You should also use a curved rather than flat blade, i.e. a chef's or paring knife over a vegetable cleaver or Japanese nakiri knife. Then, when you have the potato before you on the cutting board, take your knife and pull it towards you, heel end elevated, with the tip keeping contact with the board.

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