The Simplest Trick To Hull Strawberries Without A Knife — All You Need Is A Straw

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Did you know that the entire strawberry, leafy tops included, is actually edible? That's right! You can munch on an entire berry and leave no part behind. However, the thought of the sweet, juicy flesh being interrupted by fibrous leaves might not be appetizing to most. The solution tends to be to cut off the strawberry tops, which causes you to lose out on some of the precious fruit. While you could easily eat around the hull if you're just reaching for a snack, this won't fly when preparing strawberries for different recipes. Thankfully, there's a knife-free solution for the strawberry lovers and food waste detractors.

Equipped with a simple straw, you can say hello to your new favorite hulling hack. It's one of many strawberry hacks you'll wish you knew sooner that prevent wasting unnecessary parts of the berry. All you need to do is press one end of the straw firmly into the bottom, tapered end of the strawberry, and push through the fruit's length till you reach the leafy stem. Give the straw a little twist to cut around the thick hull and push all the way through to eject the stem and leaves, while retaining the surrounding fruit. The choice of straw can also make or break the success of this trick. You don't want to use those flimsy paper straws that go limp the moment they touch any liquid. Instead, opt for sturdier reusable straws like Hiware's stainless steel straws, Atowan's shatter-resistant glass straws, or even a regular plastic straw. Consider this your sign to choose the best strawberries at the store and put this trick to the test.

Now comes the fun part — getting to eat the fruits of your labor, literally. You can keep things classic and make gorgeous chocolate-covered strawberries without any leaves, which make a perfect present for a special someone or just a treat for yourself. If you need strawberry jam in a pinch and prefer it to be homemade, look no further than this pectin-free, three-ingredient strawberry jam recipe. You can also give your freshly hulled strawberries a major flavor upgrade by roasting them. This trick is especially great if you end up with a batch of berries lacking in flavor, as roasting intensifies their sweetness and the resulting compote-like product is ready to be drizzled over your choice of dessert. Or, you can dazzle up your brunch spread with a serving of strawberry shortcake-inspired biscuits. A rather unconventional tip, but one that renowned chef, restaurateur, and activist José Andrés, stands by is to peel the strawberries to remove the fuzzy skin that's packed with little crunchy seeds that inevitably also get stuck in your teeth.

To minimize food waste, you can avoid tossing the leafy, stemmed hull and save them to blend into smoothies, make pesto, brew into teas, and more. If you got carried away with the ease of this hack and hulled way too many strawberries, you can store them in an airtight container for up to a week to protect the now exposed flesh from developing mold or bacterial growth. If you can help it, it's probably best to avoid pre-hulling strawberries as it increases the chances of them going bad sooner.