隠(かく)し包丁(ぼうちょう)

かくしぼうちょう
noun
hidden scoring cuts (made in food before cooking)
cookingfood
1. hidden knife cuts; scoring made on the underside of an ingredient
Shallow cuts made where they will not be seen on the finished dish, so that heat and seasoning penetrate faster and the piece is easier to eat. Standard practice with daikon, konnyaku, squid, and thick cuts of fish.
大根(だいこん)に隠(かく)し包丁(ぼうちょう)を入(い)れる。
Score the underside of the daikon.
隠(かく)し包丁(ぼうちょう)を入(い)れると味(あじ)がしみやすくなる。
Making hidden cuts helps the flavor soak in.
裏側(うらがわ)に十字(じゅうじ)の隠(かく)し包丁(ぼうちょう)を入(い)れておくと、煮崩(にくず)れせずに中(なか)まで火(ひ)が通(とお)る。
If you cut a cross on the underside beforehand, it cooks through without falling apart.

Literally "hidden knife." Here 包丁(ぼうちょう) stands for the cut made with the knife, not the knife itself.

Common collocations

Similar words