Knife Skills 101: How to Cut Complicated Fruit and Veggies

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. In fact, there were an estimated 8,900 avocado-related emergency room visits in one year alone, according to an Insider article.

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 one review.

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 Carrots offer a whole host of nutritional compounds, such as beta-carotene, which may help regulate immune response, support healthy vision, and even decrease the risk of certain cancers, according to a 2022 review.

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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with some fiber, says Michelle Abbey, RDN, a nutritionist based in Bend, Oregon. According to research, vitamin C plays a critical role in immunity. Meanwhile, research from 2020 points out that fiber may help maintain a healthy weight and support metabolic health, as well as possibly prevent constipation, heart disease, and even colon cancer.

RELATED: 10 Tricks for Getting Enough Fruit and Veggies

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 one review 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 research, these components make them a great anti-inflammatory food.

RELATED: A Comprehensive Guide to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

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. Alternatively, 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 Kiwis are another vitamin C powerhouse. One kiwi can give you at least 75 percent of your daily recommended amount of the vitamin and at least 34 percent of your daily vitamin K needs, according to the USDA and National Institutes of Health Office for Dietary Supplements recommendations for vitamin C and vitamin K. Plus, you can even eat the fuzzy skin for extra fiber and antioxidants if you don’t feel like peeling it, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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. Just 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes contains almost 7 grams of fiber, according to the USDA. In addition, sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, which can support disease prevention, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

RELATED: 8 Sweet Potato Recipes Perfect for Fall and Beyond

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. Swartz offers these insights:

• Stay sharp. A dull knife is far more dangerous than a sharp one, says Swartz, because you have a tendency to press harder and use more force. He suggests learning to use a steel (also known as a honing rod), which can straighten the blade and aid chopping, for a few seconds before every big meal prep session. That way, you won’t have to take your knives to get sharpened. Cook’s Illustrated offers a tutorial for using a steel to sharpen your knives.
• Keep your fingers down and stay connected. The reason chefs can cut so quickly, Swartz says, is a simple technique: Either plant your fingertips on the cutting board, Jacques Pépin–style, or curl them under completely — either way, the widest part of the knife should be against your knuckles. Having the knife work up and down against your fingers takes your fingertips out of the equation, Swartz says. Be sure to tuck the thumb in, too.
• Point down. Although some chefs chop by lifting the knife up and down — still firm against their fingers — a good method for home cooks is to keep the point on the cutting board, so it’s more like a rocking motion than a full chop.
• Use what’s comfortable. Look at the knife display at kitchen specialty shops often enough, and you’ll be convinced you need at least 10 different options, but Swartz says people usually need only a few: a small paring knife for peeling, a larger knife for chopping, and a serrated bread knife for, well, bread. The main consideration is that the knife should feel comfortable in your hand, he advises.
• Clear the clutter. Once you’re done chopping one fruit or vegetable on your cutting board, clear it by placing the cut pieces in a bowl or on a plate. Having multiple piles of chopped items on a cutting board makes your chop surface smaller, Swartz says, and that makes you try to navigate in potentially unsafe ways.

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.”