If you've got a recipe just waiting for some delicious bell peppers to be thrown in, you're likely going to have to cut bell peppers up for it — not many recipes call for an entire green pepper or red bell pepper to just be chucked in and left to cook. If you're not sure how to cut a bell pepper the best way, no worries...we're here to help.
How Do You Cut a Bell Pepper?
First, you need to determine in what way you need to cut the bell pepper before you start going at it with your chef's knife. Does the veggie need to be diced, sliced, cut into rings, or are you stuffing the peppers for an appetizer, side dish, or main meal? The method for cutting bell peppers or even mini peppers depends on what you ultimately want to do with the pepper in your favorite recipe.
To dice a bell pepper, you need to start by laying it on its side on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice off the top of the pepper (stem-end) and bottom of the pepper, according to Gimme Some Oven. Then, run the knife around the inside of the flesh to cut away the core of the bell pepper before discarding the core. Finally, dice the bell pepper into whatever size pieces you prefer.
To cut a bell pepper into rings, you will still lay the pepper on its side on a cutting board and use your knife skills and a good knife to slice off about 1/2'' piece from the stem end and another 1/2? inch from the bottom of the pepper, according to Feel Good Foodie. You can use those ends for snacking later or freeze them for later use. Then, run the knife around the inside of the flesh to remove the core and get rid of it. Lastly, lay the pepper on its side and thinly slice it into rings. Voila!
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For stuffing bell peppers, you're still going to slice off the stem end and hollow out the core, then proceed with whatever recipe you have to determine what to fill the peppers with. Hollowed out pepper halves are great for most stuffed pepper recipes.
Whether you're making fajitas, stir fry, tortillas, ratatouille, or any number of other dishes, you'll have to know how to chop up a bell pepper well in order to proceed with your recipe. But it's really not that tough once you get the hang of it. Happy slicing and dicing!
