Cat Cora's Safety Tip For Dicing Slippery Fruits
Fresh fruit can be the most heavenly addition to a meal, whether it's a dessert or a less conventional application like peaches added to a slow-roasted pork shoulder. While you may be searching for ways to use up highly perishable peaches or recipes for those rock-hard avocados that are suddenly on the verge of being overripe, one thing you know for sure is that your fruit is best served without your blood all over it.
Slicing ripe, slippery fruit can be downright dangerous, which is why we love the simple solution that "Iron Chef America" star Cat Cora shared with Insider, which works for any slippery fruit like peaches, avocados, kiwi, or mangoes. Rather than removing the peel and then trying to stabilize the juicy, messy fruit on the cutting board, Cora advises home cooks to leave the peel in place. Slice the fruit in half, remove the pit if there is one, and carefully score the fruit from the inside, slicing just to the peel, but not through it. Once you've sliced both lengthwise and across, simply use a spoon to scoop out your safely diced fruit.
Other tips for safely dicing slippery fruit
While it may seem counterintuitive, using a sharp knife is actually safer than using one that's dull, as dull blades are more likely to slip unpredictably, while sharp blades cut through cleanly. Keeping your knives sharp makes Cora's inside-out fruit dicing technique much safer. Whether you lovingly maintain your favorite knife yourself, with a whetstone or an electric knife sharpener, or you send your knives out to be professionally sharpened, keeping them sharp keeps you safer.
Using Cora's technique for safely dicing slippery fruit may take a little practice, but it's worth it. Turning out perfectly diced mango, kiwi, and peaches lets you safely and easily make fruit salads, salsas, and fresh, juicy toppings for everything from mixed green salads to ice cream. And if you're looking for ways to use up the kiwi fruit you've practiced your Cora technique on, don't forget how effective the fuzzy fruit can be when used as a marinade for chicken or beef.