I'll admit that in my cooking lifetime I've been known to use a few, er, creative techniques to prep my fruits and veggies. (It's amazing I still have all my fingers!) If artichokes and pomegranates, mangos and squash get the better of your knife skills, then this post is for you. From how to peel a head of garlic in 10 seconds to how to cut a grapefruit, from the best way to dice an onion to the super easy way to peel ginger, these 20 tips and techniques will change the way you work with produce. Let the learning begin!
PEEL
How to peel ginger with a spoon.
How to peel a head of garlic in 10 seconds.
How to peel squash.
How to peel hazelnuts.
How to peel shallots.
How to peel celery root.
How to peel roasted red peppers.
How to peel chestnuts.
How to peel an apple.
How to peel peaches.
CUT and DICE
How to cut a mango.
How to cut a grapefruit into segments.
How to cut a cauliflower.
How to cut and prepare artichoke hearts.
How to dice an avocado.
How to dice an onion.
CORE, SEED and OPEN
How to core apples and pears.
How to core a head of iceberg lettuce.
How to open a durian fruit.
How to seed a pomegranate.
Do you have a tried-and-true method for fruit and veggie prep? Share your tips and techniques below!
Related: 15 Tips To Help You Get the Most Out of Your Summer Tomatoes
(Images: Top Row L-R: Elizabeth Passarella, Faith Durand; Middle Row L-R: Faith Durand, Kathryn Hill, Elizabeth Passarella; Bottom Row L-R: Faith Durand, Kathryn Hill, Emma Christensen)
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I learned a little skill that's good for seeding tomatoes and peppers. Slice a small piece off the bottom so it stands upright, then cut the outside off in long slices. Cut along the ribs and the seeds stay in a neat little pouch attached to the stem of the fruit. Then you can dispose of it all without the wet mess, and you don't need a ton of water to rise out the seeds like I used to to.
i could use some tips for working with kabocha squash... i usually hack at it with a big knife until i get small enough pieces but there's got to be a better (safer) way.
I'm a really experience cook, but I still learned something here - the pomegranate method is so simple. I did not know.
Thanks
Yes! Thanks for the mango tip. I just never seem to learn. It's also *really* good to have all of this stuff in one place. Bookmarked!
I use a handy apple corer I got from Williams Sonoma which cores the apple then I just take a paring knife and peel the sections. Easy and fast!