Controversy in the kitchen
This column deals with a subject steeped in controversy, and we all know sometimes that can surround the most simplest of tasks, habits or preferences.
Which way to hang the toilet paper – over or under? Ketchup as a dipping sauce for pickles and potato chips – yes or no? Wearing pajamas to the grocery store. Socks with sandals. Pineapple on pizza. Fried eggs on burgers.
And don’t even get me started on the proper way to load a dishwasher.
I understand there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but since I’m a fan of cats we won’t go there.
Instead, let’s stick to a controversial topic that doesn’t involve any household pets. Let’s stick with fruits, or in this case – strawberries.
Yes, strawberries.
I love these sweet, juicy fruits. That’s not the controversial part.
Eating them most often involves cutting the leafy tops off to make the fruit more accessible. Therein lies the debate.
For years – decades, if I am being honest – l’ve cut strawberries the same way. (The right way, if I may be so bold.)
I use a small paring knife to cut a “V” slit at the top of the berry in order to separate the leaves from the fruit. I use this technique for a couple of logical reasons. It limits the waste of the actual fruit while being an energy efficient maneuver. I takes just two quick slits with the knife to get the job done.
In that, I thought I had life figured out.
Then, last week, my daughter visited and my strawberry world turned upside down.
My daughter is a young mom. Efficiency is at the top of her priority list, I get that. I just never dreamed this organizational prowess would trickle down to strawberries.
Until I saw her in the kitchen. With strawberries.
She grew up under my influence. She watched me cut strawberries since her inception. And still.
And still, now when she cuts the leaves off strawberries she does not implement the V-cut technique! Instead, she cuts the top of the strawberry straight off – literally doubling the amount of fruit waste within each berry.
It reminded me of the time I was helping with prep work at a friend’s summer party. I was tasked with cutting the cantalope (which is a whole other article, by the way) while my friend prepped the strawberries.
She used neither the V-cut nor the straight-across method. Instead, she used a circular cut, nearly tripling the time used to process each berry. (Albeit minimizing waste, but time is money, as they say.)
Three ways of cutting strawberries might be enough for one universe – or at least one column. But as I contemplated describing this phenomenon (without discussing with anyone other than myself) things started popping up on my social media feed.
I was prompted to purchase specially made strawberry hullers, cutters and/or stem tool removers. Videos showing DIYers using ordinary drinking straws to remove the strawberry stems crept onto my screen.
It was almost like someone (or the Internet) read my mind.
That couldn’t possibly be the case, right? I chocked it up coincidence.
Specialty tools or no, the conundrum of strawberry hulling remains. There are techniques based in time-efficiency and others in waste-efficiency.
And then – in my little corner of the universe – there is a third, the V-cut, a perfect blend of the two.
But I’m not here to influence anyone. You take your pick. There are many more important life controversies that need solving.
Let’s start with toilet paper, and from there we’ll move onto pizza toppings.
