Cooking Advice

Kitchen Hack | How to Cut Grapes, Cherry Tomatoes, and Other Round Things Fast

Learn how to cut grapes and cherry tomatoes in half in seconds using this easy technique.

Four bowls of sliced vegetables and grapes: halved red grapes, peeled and sliced garlic cloves, halved Brussels sprouts, and sliced cherry tomatoes arranged on a wooden surface.

Photo Credit:
I picked up my favorite kitchen hack from an old issue of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, in the section where reader write in with quirky tips, like using a fork as a lemon juicer or peeling ginger with a teaspoon. I don’t remember which issue it appeared in, but I do know I read it years ago and it has cut prep times for many dishes in half ever since. It’s very simple: Whenever you have something small and round that you need to cut in half, like grape or cherry tomatoes, new potatoes, grapes, olives, or pearl onions, put the items between two deli container lids, press down, and slide your knife between the lids to do the cutting.
Just a few of the ingredients you can halve with this method
Just a few of the ingredients you can halve with this method
Photo Credit : Amy Traverso
Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to cut grapes, cherry tomatoes, and other round things in half: 1. Take two deli container lids (the kind with a lip at the top) and press your ingredients between them.
The knife will fit easily between the lids.
The knife will fit easily between the lids.
Photo Credit : Amy Traverso
2. Continue cutting between the lids, gently pressing with your top hand to hold the items in place.
Hold your hand flat so that your fingers are fully shielded from the knife.
Hold your hand flat so that your fingers are fully shielded from the knife.
Photo Credit : Amy Traverso
3. When your knife passes through to the other side, you’re done!
Working in batches, you can slice a pint of tomatoes in minutes.
Working in batches, you can slice a pint of tomatoes in minutes.
Photo Credit : Amy Traverso
Time to start making those summer salads!
The finished products
The finished products
Photo Credit : Amy Traverso
Do you have a favorite kitchen hack for how to cut grapes or other small, round edibles?

maple giveaway

Amy Traverso

More by Amy Traverso

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Login to post a comment