How to Chop a Bell Pepper

While making fajitas recently, my son’s roommates laughed at how he started cutting the bell peppers. Then he pulled out all the seeds, and they looked at him as if he had just done magic. When he told me the story, I laughed and knew I had to make a video.

In case you missed it

In the tutorial of How to Chop a Bell Pepper, I also talk about one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, my alligator chopper. We make large batches of beef barbecue several times per year. When we do that we chop 7-10 peppers, 7-10 onions and up to a dozen stalks of celery. With the alligator chopper, we can chop those veggies in minutes without turning them to mush like a food processor does. Don’t get me wrong, I love my food processor too, but not for that job. For that chopping job, that alligator chopper is the best tool out there.

For years, I avoided bell peppers. I dislike the green bell peppers because they upset my digestive system. I assumed the others would do the same. Fortunately, my digestive system’s dislike for bell peppers is limited to the green variety, and I love using the other colors in dishes that call for green. The red, yellow and orange peppers add color and a milder taste, at least in my opinion.

The Myth about Green Bell Peppers

Not long ago, I heard that green peppers are male and female, and that male are better for cooking and female are sweeter and better for eating raw. While writing this blog post, I discovered that is an urban legend. According to an article from www.pepperscale.com, it’s the green pepper variety that determines the sweetness, not the number of bumps on the bottom. You can read the entire article here.

Because I cook so much and do so many things habitually, I sometimes forget that the things I do without thinking can help someone else. That’s how the How to Chop an Onion without Crying post and video happened. It was a response to a literal cry for help by a relative who wanted to dice an onion without crying. I made the video for her but found out it helped more than I imagined.

What would you like to know more about?

I love sharing these shortcuts and kitchen hacks, and I hope if you have a home, kitchen or family challenge, please leave a reply or email me at whatsup@movingtowardbetter.com. Better yet, sign up below for all the great tips and recipes from Moving Toward Better. In addition to the onion chopping video, check out our post on making Faster Deviled Eggs. That is a special dish I learned from my dad that I make for Easter, Fourth of July and any summer family get together.