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Peeling, Cutting, & Dicing: 20 Tips & Techniques for Fruit and Vegetable Prep

Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold
Cambria Bold is the Managing Editor of Cubby, and one of Apartment Therapy Media’s first full-time editors from way back when. She was the founding Design and Lifestyle Editor for Kitchn and the Managing Editor for Apartment Therapy’s green living site, Re-Nest (RIP). After a few years offline and then working elsewhere, she’s back to share ideas about design, kids, and family life. It’s helpful that she now has two little kids and lots of thoughts about all those things. She lives with said kids and their father in St. Paul, MN.
published Jul 18, 2012
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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)