Chopping Vegetables

fastfoodietofitcutie

I hate to cook but am forcing myself to do it since I need to get off the eating out/fast food kick. I know these are dumb questions but can anyone please advise:

Do you wash vegetables and then let them completely dry before cooking them? I just washed a green pepper, chopped it up and now it's mush.

It takes me forever to chop things, my knife skills are obviously poor. Is a hand chopper better? A mini food processor? I just chopped a green pepper, onion and broccoli and it took me like 20 minutes and I have a huge mess.

Any tips for a new cook?

squeakyfish

No need to dry veggies before cutting. If the pepper was not overripe, you probably have a really dull knife and rather than cutting cleanly, it's forcing you to smash it to cut through. Invest in 1 nice knife. Take good care of it ( only handwash it and dry it before you put it away in a knife block or holder). It's actually safer to use a sharp knife and it makes chopping so much nicer. You can buy a nice ceramic knife pretty inexpensively. Good luck!

annepage

You'd probably appreciate a food processor if you don't like chopping. The only way to improve though is to just keep practicing. Are you using a chef's knife or a smaller one? If you are making soup, no need to dry the vegetables before cooking them in my opinion.

If you're making a stir fry or even a casserole, you might want to dry pat them in the very least so they don't end up making your dish soggy.

If you're cooking them in the microwave, the extra water will help steam them.

amyann2

No need to dry veggies before cutting. If the pepper was not overripe, you probably have a really dull knife and rather than cutting cleanly, it's forcing you to smash it to cut through. Invest in 1 nice knife. Take good care of it ( only handwash it and dry it before you put it away in a knife block or holder). It's actually safer to use a sharp knife and it makes chopping so much nicer. You can buy a nice ceramic knife pretty inexpensively. Good luck!

Yes, everything said here.

Food processors are a pain in the butt to clean, and less safe than knives in my opinion.

That said, I pat my veggies dry with a dish towel after washing them. But that's just because I'm fussy about feeling wetness on my hands while preparing food.

a_mandolin_

I used to hate chopping too, I still hate doing onions because my eyes burn like no tomorrow! I got this food chopper for a present one year and I love it! Big chops, minced, whatever... http://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=240&words=chop A mandolin can also be very handy

Confuzzled4ever

I went to wal-mart and got one of those 10 dollar slicers.. not electric. Makes slicing onions and pepeprs and potatoes and cucumbers great! Doesnt' work so well with broccoli and stuff like that.. but it definately cuts chopping time in half. Also Target has this nifty garlic chopper, just put the garlic in there and run it along the counter (it has a little wheel on it) I *hate* chopping garlic! lol. Some stuff I still have to chop up.. but it's not much! As for the mess? Do it on a cutting board and scrap the refuse right into the trash. Simple.

Oh yes.. and get a really good knife. I love my pairing knives. but I have a very good very sharp one for chopping too, cause my knife skills are non-existent. LOL

spade117

links_slayer

/thread

sofielein

A bad knife really kills the joy of cooking. Get a proper knife.

hastinbe

I use 2 knives when preparing veges: a chef's knife and a paring knife. Watch some videos on YouTube on how to cut like a chef, DON'T get overwhelmed at their speed. Pay attention to the technique: how they hold the blade, how their wrist flows, how to use your other hand as a guide, and how to NOT cut your fingers and fingernails.

ModernRock

Sounds like the pepper was overripe and perhaps your knife is dull, because washing it should have had no effect. Don't buy a whole set of knives. Instead, start with a decent chef's knife, and build from there based on your needs. A large and sharp knife will do much of the work for you.

That said, a basic food processor is nice when you have a lot of prep work, but isn't worth the trouble for basic chopping or dicing. I use my food processor for things like pesto and hummus. Either way, you still need a knife and time spent learning how to use it efficiently and safely.

Knife:
http://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Contemporary-8-Inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B000V6ROPC/

Steel (used every few times you use the knife):
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Professional-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B000A13OFC/

Sharpener (should only be used if the knife still seems dull after using the steel):
http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ/

jincurry89

Like the other poster suggested, I recommend investing in a good quality knife. The most multi-purpose knife is probably a chef's knife. I believe mine is 8" long but look through the options at your local department/kitchen ware store and see what looks like it'll fit you better. It's also good to get what's called a paring knife for those little jobs. (As you get more into cooking, there are so many other kinds of knives that you can invest in, but stick with those two for now.)
I personally dry my food after I wash it. Perhaps not thoroughly but I don't want water dripping everywhere!

I went to culinary school so I have a huge advantage in that a teacher physically showed me how to cut most fruits and vegetables in person. However, I imagine that you can get a similar experience by looking on youtube for instructional videos.

I found a few for you:
Pepper: http://youtu.be/3MOj3XDBP6U (I personally just cut a whole one in half and scoop the innards out with my hand, but this works too.)
Onion: http://youtu.be/SlOpzH4Hzgk (I usually just cut off the top and bottom, cut it in half, and THEN peel because the peel comes off much faster that way. The way they do it is the more...school-based method, I guess? Also, to help prevent crying, breathe through your mouth and possibly keep a cup of water nearby to absorb the onion gases that are released from cutting it. Also, when peeling, make sure to peel off the layer with this slimy coating to it. You can barely cut through it - it's like the 1st or 2nd layer down usually.)
Broccoli: http://youtu.be/mxFb2ITTvdI (nothing to say here, pretty straight forward)

PS. I wouldn't recommend the food processor. Fruits and veggies are so water-filled and if the machine over-processes them, you WILL get mush regardless of the quality of the food.

Happy cooking!

ecka723

No need to dry veggies before cutting. If the pepper was not overripe, you probably have a really dull knife and rather than cutting cleanly, it's forcing you to smash it to cut through. Invest in 1 nice knife. Take good care of it ( only handwash it and dry it before you put it away in a knife block or holder). It's actually safer to use a sharp knife and it makes chopping so much nicer. You can buy a nice ceramic knife pretty inexpensively. Good luck!

It is so much safer to use a sharp knife than a dull one! Also, the size of the knife is just as important as how sharp it is. It needs to feel comfortable in your hand. I prefer an 8 inch santouku knife or a 8 inch. chef's knife.