How to Cut a Mango? Dice an Avocado? 8 Clever Shortcuts to Peel and Slice

Ralph Smith for Reader's Digest

Fan a Tangerine

Peel the top and bottom of the tangerine so only a belt of skin remains in the middle. Use your fingers to make a slit in the rind, then unfold the fruit and separate each piece. You’ll have a strip of juicy slices ready to pick off the skin.

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Cup a Mango

Cut the mango in half along its pit. Next, place the fruit at the rim of a glass cup (to divide where the skin and inner flesh meet). Push down. The finicky thin skin will peel off in one piece, and fresh mango will be left in the cup.

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Skin a Peach

For a quick, naked fruit perfect for your cobbler, boil peaches for two to three minutes. Then immediately place them in a bowl of ice water (this will prevent them from cooking and loosen the skin). Once the peaches are cool, make a small slit in the skin with a knife, then peel it off with your fingers.

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Slice Spuds in an Instant

Use your apple cutter to slice a potato. You’ll have perfectly sized pieces to bake as wedges.

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Shuck Corn Cleanly

Getting rid of that silk can be tedious business. Slice off the stalk one inch above the last row of kernels. Microwave for two to four minutes (add time to this for multiple ears). Then gently shake and squeeze the husk (wear an oven mitten—it will be hot) until the corn slides out. The steam will separate threads from the kernels, and you’ll have a freshly cooked cob.

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Halve Cherry Tomatoes Fast

Save time on your next salad: Find two similarly sized storage container lids. Place cherry tomatoes on top of one, then firmly hold the other lid on top of the tomatoes. Use a very sharp knife to slice through the entire bunch at once.

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Dice an Avocado

Instead of making a gooey mess, follow four easy steps: Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise. Cautiously spear the pit with the heel of your knife and remove. Slice intersecting horizontal and vertical lines—like a grid—into the flesh (but don’t cut all the way through the skin). Use a spoon to remove all the cubes at once.

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Spoon Out Kiwis

Chop off each end of the kiwi, then insert a spoon between the fuzzy skin and the flesh. Slide it around the entire kiwi, then push out the tasty inner fruit.

Sources: huffingtonpost.com, buzzfeed.com, thekitchn.com, simplyrecipes.com, Bon Appétit, livestrong.com, youtube.com, America’s Test Kitchen