Cutting & Peeling Food

Spaghetti squash is a perennial favorite here at Kitchn. We love its versatility — this squash is good for so much more than faux spaghetti noodles. But whether you’re planning to make spaghetti squash chicken Parm or broccoli and cheese spaghetti squash casserole, you have to prep it first. Cutting a spaghetti squash the right way isn’t hard, as long as you have the right tools and technique.

You’ve probably read in recipes and heard again and again that you should slice steak and other cuts of meat against grain. But what exactly is “the grain,” and why is it so important to slice against it? Oh, and how do you even know what it looks like?The grain refers to the direction that the muscle fibers are aligned, and it is important to cut against it so that your meat is easier to chew.

It's time to learn, once and for all.

I am almost never without a knob of fresh ginger in my refrigerator. It lends a kick to everything from soups to curries to roasted vegetables. It took me a while to make it a fridge staple, though — largely because I hated prepping it.About 99.9% of recipes (including the ones on our site) ask you to peel ginger before mincing or grating it.

Don’t toss them!

While those inexpensive pumpkin carving kits you see at the grocery store may seem appealing, they're actually not your best bet.

It can be daunting to face a butternut squash. Learn how to cut butternut squash in four easy steps.

Follow our step-by-step guide to cut apples for snacking and baking.

Try these two easy ways to core any kind of apple — all you need is a paring knife.

Here’s how to dice, chop, mince, and everything between!

We also discovered a few fun party tricks.

No more dealing with pesky seeds going everywhere!

Go on, get confident.

We’ll try anything to stop weeping over our onions.

Slicing an avocado is a simple technique that requires minimal knife skills and just a few seconds of your time.

How have we not tried this before?!

There are very few savory recipes that don’t begin with a chopped onion or that contain minced herbs or garlic. For a new cook, terms like “medium chop” or “small dice” can be confusing. Medium compared to what? How small is small? And how much trouble can you get into if you small chop something when the recipe says to mince?

There are quite a few ways to make a good ham, but what exactly is the best way? We set out to find out for sure.

Mess-free is the way to be!

Follow this visual guide to learn the best way to cut cabbage for your recipe.

These are the most ideal cuts to use for an ultra-tender beef stew.

It's so easy!

Here’s how to separate wings into pieces with just a knife and a cutting board.

A game-changer for sure!

Peeling and deveining shrimp isn't hard. Here's how to do it, exactly the way I was taught at culinary school.

With this step-by-step guide, you'll be cooking up perfectly butterflied shrimp in no time.

Although short ribs used to be seen as a less desirable cut of beef, they’ve risen in popularity, causing prices to also increase for this cut that used to be fairly inexpensive. So if you’re now spending more for short ribs, it makes sense to get to know the two popular ways that they’re cut, flanken and English style. The difference can come down to thickness of the cut and cook time for your desired meal.

"It may take a little trial and error, but I think it’s worth giving it a shot — especially if making deviled eggs for a crowd."

Use the vegetable peeler to keep as much flesh on your apple as possible when removing the skin.

The perfect hack for the holidays!

Here's how to easily open the festive fruit without making a mess.

Try this trick the next time you make buns.

These tips make pumpkin carving SO much easier!

Our step-by-step photos will show you the way.

It really works!

It's so satisfying!

Who knew!

A refresher for Brussels sprouts season.

When you want to add a zingy, sweet citrus flavor to food, the juice is good, but the zest is even better. It has natural oils that will impart way more flavor than you’ll get from juicing. Plus, sometimes all you need is a little bit. So whether you’re working with lemons, limes, oranges, or any other citrus fruit, there are four easy ways to get your hands on some zest.

Easy and effective? Count me in!

There's no magic trick or secret formula to learning to dice — the only way to improve your dicing skills is to dice more.

Here's how it went.

Watch the video to learn how to cut a mango.

Save yourself a lot of hassle by using this easy trick.

See how it's done with our step-by-step photo guide.

Spoiler alert: It's one of the trickier methods you'll try.

Do you know where your favorite cut falls?

Given that the vast majority of dinners start with a pile of thinly-sliced onions on the cutting board, we here at The Kitchn feel it’s worth taking the time to make sure your onion skills are on point. Confidence is everything when it comes to dinner, am I right? Grab your favorite chefs knife and your onion goggles — I’m about to show you how to cut your onion like a kitchen ninja. Recipes are annoyingly inconsistent when it comes to sliced onions.

Because we want you to have nice, juicy pork chops for dinner.

I’ve always thought that kohlrabi looks like an alien spaceship. The weirdly cylindrical shape, the skinny arms — what is this stuff? Lucky for us, kohlrabi isn’t alien at all but a delicious addition to summer salads and slaws. To consume them, there are three ways to get past this vegetable’s eccentric appearance and slice it up so you can eat it.

Fresh ginger is a staple in my kitchen. It is an extremely versatile ingredient that shows up in any course, from savory to sweet, be it main, beverage, dessert, or salad. It can even be medicine — hot ginger tea with lemon, honey and brandy will cure what ails you! In short, fresh ginger is essential to my cooking. Read on for my methods for peeling and mincing fresh ginger.

You’ve probably heard dozens of old wives’ tales and pseudo-scientific advice for cutting onions without tears. Two of the most ludicrous are holding burning matches in your mouth while you chop, a fire hazard to say the least, and chewing on a raw onion, which merely adds more onion close to your mucus membranes. Most of these homespun ideas just aren’t very effective, but we’ve got five tips which are.

Ready to become a pro at cooking pork?

Whether you're using a Roma tomato, supermarket staple, or heirloom variety, learning how to dice a tomato properly is key to making salads, salsas, and much more. Get expert tips in this step-by-step visual guide.

"Perfect slices every time."

Plus you'll be able to serve more cake and cut down on waste!

Spoiler alert: It won't stop your tears.

Have you spent most of your life peeling carrots before cooking or eating them just because that’s what you’ve seen other people do, so you followed suit? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. When it comes down to it, you don’t ever really have to peel carrots. As long as you wash and scrub them well to remove dirt and any debris (this natural fruit and veggie wash is a good start!), unpeeled carrots are perfectly safe (and delicious) to eat.

If you watch food competition shows, you’ll probably see a competitor or chef expertly running their knives over that steel tool pictured above. In fact, you might even own one of those steels if you have a big knife set or knife block. So do you know what that tool is? It sharpens knives, right? But here’s where you’re wrong: That tool, no matter what it is labeled, is decidedly not a sharpening steel. The tool many think of as a sharpening steel is actually a honing steel.