KITCHEN PRACTICE 1 — Dice an Onion Using the Root-On Method
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TASK
Work through the four-step root-on dicing technique from this chapter,
slowly and deliberately — the goal this time is even, consistent
pieces and good claw-hand form, not speed.

WALKTHROUGH

Step 1 — Set up.
Onion, chef's knife, cutting board with a damp towel underneath for
stability (Chapter 1). Halve the onion through the root — not across
it — and peel off the papery skin from each half. The root stays
attached; it's doing real work holding the layers together.

Step 2 — Horizontal cuts.
Lay one half flat-side down, root end away from your knife hand.
Using the claw grip on your guiding hand, make 3-4 cuts parallel to
the board, working from the top edge toward the root, stopping about
1cm short of the root so the layers stay connected.

Step 3 — Vertical cuts.
Turn your guiding hand to hold the onion steady from the top (claw
grip still curled under). Cut straight down from the outer edge toward
the root, again stopping just short of it, spacing the cuts evenly —
this is what determines your final dice size, so keep them consistent.

Step 4 — The final cross-cut.
Turn the onion 90 degrees so you're now cutting across your existing
grid. Working from the far end toward the root, slice across — the
onion should fall away already diced in even little cubes, no second
pass needed.

Step 5 — Check the result.
Look at your pile of diced onion. The goal is consistency — pieces
roughly the same size as each other, not necessarily tiny. If some
pieces are noticeably bigger than others, that's a sign your Step 2/3
spacing wasn't even; that's completely normal on an early attempt and
gets more consistent with repetition.

Step 6 — Clean up immediately.
Onion skins and the root end go straight in your Chapter 1 trash bowl.
Wipe the board before it's used for anything else.

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WHY THIS WORKS
The root-on method keeps every layer of the onion connected until the
very last cut, which is what makes the whole dice fall out evenly in
one pass instead of needing loose, individual cuts chasing rolling
pieces around the board — safer and genuinely faster once it clicks.