We all know we need to eat our fruits and veggies, but sometimes preparing delicious produce can be a challenge. Here are some tips on how to easily prepare finicky produce.
Getting Out of the Pits
Avocados taste so delicious, but they sure make us work for it. First, we have to become skilled at the “Avocado Feel,” which is when you squeeze and poke the avocado all over before getting annoyed with being unable to tell if it’s ripe or not and toss the thing into your cart, hoping for the best. Then, when you’re ready eat the avocado, you must cut it and slice it and serve it all in what feels like 30 seconds before it turns brown. But when you take that yummy first bite…well, it all seems worth it.
Other than hiring a personal Avocado Feeler, you’re stuck with succeeding at that step on your own. When it comes to preparing the avocado though, our Crisp Avocado Tool can help! To easily slice the avocado open, use the built in knife and cut a line all the way around the vertical axis. The two halves should open easily, and one side should contain the pit, which can be removed with the built-in knife. Now you’ll want to score the avocado with the slicer. (This beats using a regular knife that might slip or cut through the avocado peel and your palm.) Finally, scoop the avocado slices onto your taco, burger, guacamole bowl, or directly into your mouth.
Dealing with Thick Skin
We’ve all been there. You see the beautifully colored gourds in the grocery store and visions of warm winter soups dance in your eyes. You bring the pumpkin or squash home and place it upon your kitchen counter. Then you realize you’ll have to bust this thing open. A chainsaw seems extreme, so what’s the next best thing? You can make your task much easier by using your microwave as your ally. First, stab several hole all around the gourd. Next, place it on a microwave-safe plate and nuke it for about ten minutes. This will soften the skin and make it easier for you to cut.
The next step becomes much easier with two simple tools: a non-skid cutting board and a large quality knife like the Crisp Melon Knife. This Crisp knife is specially designed to cut through tough skin and gives you the length you need when dealing with a large squash. If you’re making butternut or spaghetti squash, cut one end of the squash off and then cut the other end off. Now stand the squash on one flat end and cut the squash vertically in half. Scoop out the seeds with the built in seed scraped (sneakily hidden in the handle of the knife) and proceed to making your fabulous recipe.
Don’t Take Them For Granted
Pomegranates aren’t just known as the seeds of love; they’re also full of seeds to love. The health benefits of pomegranates are reported to improve blood flow to the heart, contain antioxidants, and may even slow prostate cancer. So what’s the best way to get those heart-healthy seeds without raising your heart rate? Using a non-slip cutting board, prepare the pomegranate for cutting by turning it on the side, with the crown pointing to the left or right. Next, use a quality knife to cut the fruit in half. Hold one half of the fruit over a bowl, seed side facing down. (Get ready for the fun part.) Now, beat the skin side of the pomegranate with a spoon until all the seeds fall out. Pick out any errant skin that may have fallen into the bowl, and voila! Pomegranate seeds to do with what you will. They’re great on their own as a healthy snack or when used to add delicious pops of flavor to recipes. What’s not to love about that?
That’s a Good Peeling
When peeling carrots or potatoes, just about any kind of peeler will cut it. But when confronted with slick-skinned fruits and vegetables, you may want to consider using a peeler with a serrated edge. Smaller fruits like apples or peaches can be hard to hold onto, so when the serrated edges of a peeler have a better grip on the fruit’s skin they can help you keep a better grip on the whole fruit. Tomatoes are also slick-skinned, especially if you’ve rinsed them off before cutting, but having a serrated edge to your peeler will help you keep the upper hand.
Hello, I am Cristy. I love cooking but what I love most is keeping my kitchen tools and appliances top notch. I enjoy writing about everything I have learned around the kitchen. I believe that keeping your kitchen tools well cleaned and maintained produces the best dishes and drinks. Besides writing and cooking I enjoy traveling, camping, hiking and music.