Knife Skills 101: How to Cut Complicated Fruit and Veggies

From the exotic to the everyday, produce selections can be tricky to prep. But we’ve got the info you need to become a chop master.

Knives cause more disabling injuries than any other type of hand tool. And although pocket and utility knives send the most people to the ER, kitchen knives aren’t that far behind, according to a September 2013 study in the Journal of Emergency Medicine that put yearly cooking-related knife injuries at nearly a million between 1990 and 2008. That’s more than 50,000 sliced hands per year. But there are ways to make sure you don’t become a statistic.

“You can have the best knife in the world, but if you don’t know how to handle it properly, or you position your fruit and vegetables poorly, you’re raising your risk of injury,” says chef Scott Swartz, an assistant professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

He teaches both culinary students and home chefs proper cutting techniques and knife skills, and says a little practice and some general know-how go a long way toward mastery. Here are just a few examples of what to keep in mind when you’re ready to prep:

You’ve been patient and diligent enough to get to the “perfectly ripe” stage of an avocado, which feels like it lasts only about half a day. Congrats! Now it’s time to celebrate that rare moment with some expert knife work.

Do Using a small knife, cut the avocado in half lengthwise first, from top to bottom. That will reveal the large pit in the center. In a truly ripe avocado, you can take a spoon and simply scoop out the pit, and then use the same spoon to ease the green flesh away from the dinosaur-type outer peel.

Don’t Hold the pit-laden avocado half in one hand and use a large knife to whack into the pit so you can lift it out. Many people use this method, but swinging a big, sharp knife with force and speed toward your palm is never a good idea, Swartz says.

Why You Should Eat Them Talk about a nutrient-dense food: Avocados are packed with fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and phytochemicals, which all work together to support heart health and can even contribute to healthy aging, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

So commonplace that they’re an easy chop? Think again, says Swartz, who says carrots are deceptively simple to cut — but because they’re round, people tend to “chase” them around the board, getting their fingers in the way.

Do Cut a large section first, and then slice it lengthwise down the middle so it lays flat on the cutting board with the rounded part on top.

Don’t Set the carrot down and start cutting it into rounds because that increases the chances of the slices rolling away.

Why You Should Eat Them East Dennis, Massachusetts–based Amanda Kostro Miller, RD, says carrots offer beta-carotene, which past research shows helps vision and immunity, and may even help fend off certain types of cancer.

So delicious, and yet so slippery after peeling, mangoes often present an injury danger, says Swartz.

Do First, peel it either with a peeler or a small knife — the same way you might peel an apple — and then cut off the larger end and place that on the cutting board. Like with carrots, aim for a flat surface against the cutting board. Start cutting small sections downward toward the board and work around the pit.

Don’t Hold it in your hand and cut as a way to keep it stable, Swartz says. Even with that big pit in the middle, your knife is likely to slip.

Why You Should Eat Them Mangoes provide vitamin C, notes the USDA, along with some fiber, says Bend, Oregon–based Michelle Abbey, RDN. As an article published in November 2017 in Nutrients points out, vitamin C plays a critical role in immunity. Meanwhile, past research shows reaching the recommended level of intake for dietary fiber is associated with a lower risk for health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity, among other benefits.

Here’s another selection that benefits from creating a flat surface, Swartz says, especially because you’ll be holding the ear from the top.

Do Cook the corn on the cob first, let it cool slightly, and chop it in half widthwise. Place the cut side down, hold firmly to the top, and use a small knife to “scrape” the kernels away from you, toward the cutting board.

Don’t Leave it as a whole cob and set it on the board to roll around as you try to slice the kernels off either away from you or toward you. Not only does this make it unsafe, but also your kernels tend to fly everywhere.

Why You Should Eat It The lovely yellow color of fresh corn comes from lutein and zeaxanthin, Abbey says, which a review published in June 2019 in Current Developments in Nutrition points out are carotenoids that are beneficial to eye health. Abbey adds that you’ll also be getting soluble fiber and resistant starch, which both help to keep blood sugar stable, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Among the funkier fruits you can handle in the kitchen, pomegranates are unique because you want only the seeds, also called arils, Swartz says. But because you don’t want the super sticky flesh, pomegranate actually isn’t as difficult to prep as you may think.

Do Cut the fruit in half widthwise and hold a half toward a bowl of water in the sink, cut side away from you. Smack the back and sides with a spoon, which will separate the inside from the peel. Once the whole gooey mess is in the water, the arils will separate from the membranes, so you can scoop them out.

Don’t Get elaborate with your technique, Swartz recommends. There are plenty of “shortcut” videos that have you cutting little squares in the bottom or sectioning off the fruit, but if you want efficiency, go for the chop-in-half method.

Why You Should Eat Them Even though you aren’t eating the flesh of the fruit, you’re still getting a nutrient-packed treat, says Abbey. Pomegranate arils are rich in polyphenols, she says. According to an article published in 2014 in Advanced Biomedical Research, these components make them a great anti-inflammatory food.

These adorable fruits fit in your palm so well that people are often tempted to cut them like a bagel, says Swartz. But neither bagels nor kiwis should be held that way for cutting.

Do With the fuzzy skin still on, cut in half widthwise and place the large side down on the board, and then use a small knife to peel it in strips, cutting toward the board. Alternately, you can cut it in half lengthwise and simply scoop out the green pulp.

Don’t Use a peeler! Keep in mind that peelers can cut you, too, if they slip off surfaces, which commonly happens with kiwis. Use a knife instead.

Why You Should Eat It Here’s another big vitamin C powerhouse, says Kostro Miller. Two kiwis can give you 230 percent of your daily recommended amount of the vitamin, and about 70 percent of your daily vitamin K needs, according to the USDA. Plus, she adds, you can even eat the fuzzy skin for extra fiber if you don’t feel like peeling it.

Here’s another choice where peeling is optional, since the skin will soften to some degree with cooking and offers a boost of fiber. But if you’re going to be making a fluffy sweet potato mash or simply don’t like the skin’s toughness, time for some peeling.

Do Unlike a kiwi, sweet potatoes are easily peeled with a standard peeler, though you can also use a small knife. After peeling, cut in half widthwise and set on the cutting board with cut side down, then cut in large “sheets” that you can then set down and chop into squares.

Don’t Cut pieces into large and small sizes. Having uniformity in your sizing will ensure even cooking — and this goes for any type of vegetable cut into pieces, such as potatoes, squash, and beets.

Why You Should Eat It Fiber, fiber, fiber. Although sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene and potassium, New York City–based Alena Kharlamenko, RD, says just 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes contains up to 7 grams of fiber, making that the biggest reason to include them. In addition to disease prevention, she notes that fiber can boost gut health, digestion, and heart health, which are all benefits that the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health also points out.

No matter what you’re chopping — fruit, vegetables, meats, or seafood — there are a few basics that can make your prep time safer and more efficient. Chef Swartz offers these insights:

Most of all, he suggests, take your time. Unless you’re studying to be a sous-chef and working on blindingly fast cutting skills, there’s no reason to rush through your meal prep.

“The faster you go, the higher your chances of injury, especially if you’re distracted,” says Swartz. “Make it into an enjoyable, meditative exercise at an easy pace, and you’ll be much safer and build your expertise.”