What kitchen technique involves cutting food into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking?

The technique of dicing involves cutting food into uniform pieces, typically in small squares, which promotes even cooking. This consistency in size is crucial, particularly when preparing ingredients that will be cooked together, as it ensures that each piece cooks thoroughly and at the same rate. For example, when dicing vegetables for a stir-fry, having uniform pieces means that all the vegetables will become tender at the same time, preventing some from being overcooked while others remain raw.

Chopping, on the other hand, does not require uniformity in size and can result in uneven cooking. Minimizing is not a recognized cooking technique in this context, and julienne refers to cutting food into thin matchstick-shaped pieces, which is a specific cutting style rather than the emphasis on uniformity in size needed for even cooking. Thus, dicing is the technique that correctly aligns with the goal of achieving uniformity for even cooking.