Culinary expert Chris Kimball shows how to seed, pit and prepare tough fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, pears, tomatoes, avocados, peaches and cherries.
- To seed cucumbers (figure A) and zucchini or to core pears (figure B), cut in half lengthwise and scoop seeds out with a spoon or round measuring spoon.
- To remove the core from a head of iceberg lettuce, firmly strike the head, core side down, on a hard surface (figure C). Turn the lettuce over and twist out the core.
- To core a tomato, use a paring knife to cut downward at an angle around the stem end (figure D), then lift up the tip of the knife to remove the core.
- To pit peaches, cut through to the pit all around the peach on the opposite side of the crease. Twist the two halves and pull apart to reveal the pit, which can then be easily removed.
- To pit cherries, insert the tips of clean needle-nose pliers into the stem end of a cherry (figure E), grab the pit and twist to remove it.
- To half an acorn squash, cut off a slice of one side of the squash so that it will sit flat on a cutting board. Place a cleaver on the center of the squash and firmly whack the back of the cleaver with a rubber mallet to force the knife through the tough skin. This method also works with butternut squash, but because of its length, you may have to cut through one side, turn it and cut the other side.
Tips
- When a recipe calls for grated zucchini, grate it over a towel so that you can squeeze the juice out of the zucchini through the towel before adding it to the other ingredients.
- Another option is to saute the grated zucchini over high heat with a little butter and salt and pepper.
Resources Cook's Illustrated
This is a magazine of step-by-step recipes, quick tips, tastings and testings.
Boston Common Press
17 Station St.
Brookline, MA 02445
Toll-free: 800-888-6660
E-mail:
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Website:
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The Best Recipe
by Editors of
Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Boston Common Press, 1999
Order this title from Amazon.com.
This cookbook contains 700 recipes for all types of food.
Guests Christopher Kimball
Editor,
Cook's Illustrated magazine
Website:
www.cooksillustrated.com
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