Slicing Sweet Peppers

Slicing peppers. It sounds easy right? Well it is, but there are some tricks.

For most of my life I have used a pairing knife to hollow out the top, rinse the seeds and then quarter and slice. About 2 years ago I was helping a friend cater a wedding for over 200 people and a chicken/ sweet pepper pasta was on the menu. In preparation I sliced pounds and pounds of sweet peppers. Here is what I learned.

Start by shallowly slice sheets of pepper off the sides. These cuts produce flatter pieces than the hollowing method.

Finish by cutting the bottom off. You should have a total of 5 fairly flat pieces of pepper.

These flat pieces are easier to julienne so you are less likely to hurt yourself and get more evenly sliced pieces.

Use the slices as is or turn the cutting board and cut them crosswise to produce diced peppers.