The most romantic red gems of the rose family are in season now. You guessed it right – strawberries are officially here. Who doesn’t love those scrumptious, full of flavor red berries? We know we do.
Strawberries unlock endless sweet culinary possibilities to devour. From strawberries and cream to pastries and jams and even dipped in chocolate, everything they add into becomes simply delectable.
This is why you need to learn how to cut strawberries in all sorts of fancy ways, from hearts to fans and roses, just in case you need to impress that special someone with your cutlery skills.
How to cut strawberries:
- Wash the strawberries thoroughly.
- Remove the green stems.
- Use a paring knife to hull the strawberries.
- Place the strawberry top-down and slice it down the middle for halves.
- Turn 90 degrees and slice them again for quarters.
- You may alternatively cut into unique shapes such as hearts or roses.
Table of contents
How to clean strawberries
When setting out to clean your strawberries, make sure you are ready to use them. This is because strawberries tend to soak up water like sponges, and coming in contact with water makes them go bad fast. Whenever you’re ready, follow the steps below:
- Place your strawberries in a colander or strainer.
- Run cold water over them, rubbing them gently with your fingers.
- Discard the berries that are mushy, bruised or have mold on them.
- Spread them on a kitchen towel and quickly pat dry.
How to hull strawberries
Now that you’re done washing and drying your strawberries, you can also hull them. Hulling or coring is a super simple process where you pick out the green stem, leaves, and the bitter white core in the center of the berry. Here is how:
- Place the berry on the cutting board.
- Use your hands to twist and pull out the stem and leaves.
- Next, use a paring knife to poke into the berry top with the knife tip. Angle your knife at a 45-degree angle, just outside of the white core. This is the hull.
- Slide your paring knife all around the rim of the white core.
- Pop out the hull with the knife tip.
- Having the hull out will render you with a circular top and triangular bottom, as well as bright red flesh inside.
- Alternatively, you may use a strawberry huller or even a straw for popping the hull out.
How to cut strawberries the conventional way
How to cut strawberries in halves
- Place the strawberries vertically, top-down, onto the cutting board.
- Use your paring knife to slice them straight in the middle, from top to bottom.
Strawberries in halves are ready for snacking, using in tarts, or even blending them up for smoothies and shakes!
How to cut strawberries in quarters
- Place the strawberries top-down on the cutting board once more.
- Slice them from the middle into halves.
- Turn them 90 degrees and slice them down in the middle again.
Perfect strawberry quarters are ready. These are just right for fruit salads and smoothies. They also happen to freeze faster.
How to cut strawberries in vertical slices
- Place the strawberries with the tip of the berry facing upwards onto the cutting board.
- Begin with one side and use your knife to start cutting slices of your desired thickness.
Strawberry slices are ready and are perfect for toppings on cakes, pies, cereals, and even oatmeal!
Best knife to cut strawberries in any shapes
True cutting power in the palm of your hand
How to cut strawberries fancy
Want to impress your guests or that special someone with your skills? Learn these fun strawberry cuts that you can make and flaunt them over your favorite ice-creams, cupcakes, and more!
How to cut strawberries into roses
- Place the strawberry stem down onto the cutting board.
- Insert a skewer in the strawberry from the top to the middle.
- Holding the skewer, use your paring knife to make petal-shaped slices all around the middle, keeping the slices intact. This will make your first row of petals.
- Spread the first row of petals slowly away from the strawberry.
- Make the next layer of petals between the first petals and the tip, alternating the petal slices from the previous row petals.
- Move these petals away from the strawberry as well.
- If the strawberry is large, you may also fit in a third row.
Voila, your strawberry rose is ready. You may also tape some green floral tape below the rose to make it look realistic or add real rose leaves.
How to cut strawberries into fans
Our next round of fancy strawberry cuts is the strawberry fan. Here is how you can make it:
- For strawberry fans, make sure the strawberries aren’t hulled.
- Place the strawberry on the cutting board and make sure the stem faces away from you.
- Use your knife to make small, lengthwise cuts into the strawberry leaving the stem.
- Begin to spread out the strawberry slices as they begin to look like fans held by the stem.
Strawberry fans are perfect cocktail garnishes. You can even use them on desserts such as crème Brulee or even Panna cottas.
Strawberry nutrition facts
You might be surprised to learn that these delicious, romantic berries aren’t actually berries at all. Belonging to the rose family, these fiber-rich fruits are packed with lots of minerals and vitamins. Plus, their vibrant hues result from the array of antioxidants that they hoard.
Fiber
Strawberries are a rich source of fiber that helps keep a check your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These dietary fibers also feed your gut’s friendly bacteria and assist in improving digestive health. Plus, they also aid in weight loss!
Vitamin C
One serving of about eight strawberries contains more Vitamin C than oranges, making it the best source of consuming this power-packed antioxidant vitamin. Vitamin C helps produce collagen, a structural component of the skin. It aids wound healing and repairs injuries as well.
Strawberries also prevent high blood sugars, ease symptoms of arthritis, and help reduce risks of colon cancer. It’s truly a power-packed fruit that you need to include in your diet.
How to store strawberries
Strawberries are best stored in refrigerators to extend their shelf life and last longer. Leaving them at room temperature will develop mold on them quickly. Here is what you need to do:
- Line an airtight container with paper.
- Keep unwashed whole strawberries in a single layer.
- Seal the container tightly and store it in the refrigerator.
If your strawberries are dry and kept airtight, they will easily last you a week. However, the earlier you eat them, the fresher they will taste.
For longer-term storage, you may also freeze your berries. Wash the strawberries and let it air-dry, arrange them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer. You can transfer them into freezer bags after a few hours. Strawberries that are frozen can last for six months or longer.
Strawberry dessert recipe
Strawberries are loved by pretty much everyone. Add them to any dessert, and everyone will be swooning over them. Here is our favorite strawberry dessert recipe:
Inside out chocolate strawberries
Indulge in the flavor of luscious strawberries filled with perfect chocolate and cream cheese mixture combination. This may be the start for an extravagant afternoon brunch or the show stealer at your dinner party, whatever suits you best.
Find the recipe for delicious inside-out chocolate strawberries here.
FAQs
Why do I need to hull strawberries before cutting them?
Hulling strawberries is preferred because it removes the rigid inner core inside the berry. This part is unpleasant to eat, and removing it will give you a better taste. When done correctly, it will also help minimize waste.
How to pick ripe strawberries?
When picking strawberries, make sure three parts of the fruit have changed from green to red. Moreover, ripe strawberries also feel soft and give little squeezing. If they are hard, they are not ripe yet. If they are mushy, they have become overripe.
How long can cut strawberries be stored at room temperature?
You may store cut strawberries at room temperature for two hours. Any longer than that must be thrown away.
In conclusion
By now, we are sure you can’t wait to get your hands on these delicious berries. Don’t wait – go and devour these delicious fruits now!
