With their round shape, tough stem, internal ribs and scattered seeds, bell peppers can seem like more of a challenge to prepare than other vegetables. Many people tend to cut bell peppers in half lengthwise before deseeding and cutting out the core -- that certainly gets the job done, but there's an even easier way to make the most of this slightly sweet veggie.
Cooking for Geeks author Jeff Potter says his method eliminates the need to core your bell peppers or hassle with the seeds. He demonstrates in the above video from the web series #OWNSHOW.
1. Slice off the top and bottom of the bell pepper.
2. Make one vertical cut through one side of the pepper.
3. Unroll the bell pepper so it becomes a flat sheet.
"Doing it this way means you'll get nice, big, flat sheets that you can then cut into slices," Potter says.
His bell pepper tips don't stop there.
"There's another thing about bell peppers that I think is really cool, that most people don't know," Potter says. "If you peel it, you'll actually get this peel that comes off -- taste that. It's not the sweet bell pepper taste that you know. It's... green, herbaceous."
So, next time you're cooking with a red bell pepper, Potter suggests peeling it as a part of your prep.
"If you're actually using a red bell pepper in a dish where you're going to cut it up, you can actually peel it and that will actually make the dish taste better and it will avoid this kind of tough membrane," he says.
Another kitchen trick: Use the same method chefs use when it comes to peeling carrots.
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