Chopping the Vegetables
Wash your vegetables. Wash your own hands in warm, soapy water for about 20 seconds. Then, rinse your vegetables under the faucet, gently rubbing as needed to remove any stuck on dirt. You may need to use a vegetable brush on tougher vegetables, like squash, to get out stuck on dirt and debris.
Remove any skins. Things like onions, potatoes, and garlic should usually be peeled prior to cooking. You can simply peel off the skin of onion or garlic, but things like potatoes and squash require a vegetable peeler. When peeling an onion, you may accidentally peel off the top layer when removing the skin. You can still use an onion after peeling off the top layer, so do not worry if this happens. Not all vegetables require peeling prior to cooking. Consult your recipe to see if you need to peel your vegetables first.
Cut the vegetables in half. Cut off any ends with leaves or stems. Then, cut the vegetables in half length-wise. This will make it easier to dice them prior to mincing.
Chop the vegetables in perpendicular slices. Hold the vegetables with bent fingers as you cut, keeping your fingers just behind the knife. This allows for greater control while cutting. Cut the vegetables length-wise, keeping the slices about half an inch to a quarter of an inch apart. When you're done, you should have several thin slices of vegetables.
Mincing the Vegetables
Line up your vegetable slices. Take the perpendicular slices you just made and place the vegetables on a cutting board. Keep them close together when lining them up, but be sure to avoid any overlap.
Dice the slices. Take your knife and cut along the vegetable slices cross-wise. Make a series of cuts, each one about a quarter of an inch apart, running down the lines of vegetables. When you're done, you will be left with small blocks of diced veggies.
Push your diced vegetables into a small pile. Some overlap here is okay, as mincing is a less precise process than dicing. Your pile should be small and compact. You can either use your knife or hands to push the vegetables together. If you use your hands to push your veggies together, wash your hands first.
Rock your knife over your vegetables. Start at one end of your pile. Place the palm of your hand on the dull side of the knife. Use your palm and the hand holding the knife to rock the knife back and forth, following the natural curl of the blade. Move the knife across the pile of veggies gradually, continuing this gentle, rocking motion as you go.
Stop rocking just before the vegetables form a paste. Continue with the same basic motions, moving the knife back and forth across your vegetables. The goal is to get the vegetable pieces as small as possible. Once you notice some of the veggies forming a paste-like liquid, stop. This is a sign that the vegetables are adequately minced as they're starting to lose form. Minced vegetables should be mostly solid. Times vary depending on the type of vegetable you're mincing. Softer vegetables, like garlic, will mince faster than sturdier vegetables like potatoes.
Speeding Up the Process
Invest in a garlic press. Minced garlic is commonly called for in recipes. A garlic press is a device used to mince garlic quickly. You simply peel the garlic, place it in the press, and squeeze the press closed to mince. Garlic presses are cheap and can be purchased at most grocery stores.
Use a cheese grater or similar device. A cheese grater, or a similar device, speeds up the mincing process. You simply run the vegetables over the grater after peeling them. They should break apart in tiny, delicate pieces A grater is not the best choice for delicate vegetables, like garlic, as will cause them to form a paste.
Try using a food processor. You can run vegetables through a food processor to mince them quickly. You can do so after dicing the vegetables into small, bite-sized chunks. If an actual food processor is out of your budget, buy a mini-food processor.
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