Cutting the cubes into smaller pieces also increases the surface area of the beef, making more room for the other flavors. (healthy-delicious.com)
I cut the chicken into slightly smaller pieces to increase surface area for the sauce, and therefore had just enough sauce for 1 1/2 lbs of chicken. (epicurious.com)
Having these tiny fingers greatly increases the surface area available for the absorption of fluid and nutrients. (marvistavet.com)