How to Cut a Kiwi
Here’s how to peel and cut the green gem-like fruit.
J_rg Lcking / EyeEm/Getty Images
By Rupa Bhattacharya for Food Network Kitchen
Fun fact: you don’t actually have to peel kiwis if you don’t want to — the fuzzy skin is edible! But if you’re trying to get to that juicy, sweet fruit without chewing through the skin, here are two ways to easily peel a kiwi, as well as how to cut that kiwi once you’ve peeled it.
How to Tell a Kiwi Is Ripe
Before you peel and cut up that kiwi, make sure it’s ripe. Although the brown peel doesn’t change colors, all you have to do is gently feel the kiwi to tell if it’s ripe. The kiwi should give when you gently squeeze it, but your finger shouldn’t leave a dent in it.
How to Peel a Kiwi With a Vegetable Peeler
You might prefer using this technique because it removes just the peel — very little green flesh. Kiwis are tiny, so every little bit of fruit is precious.
Renee Comet
1. Cut off both ends of the kiwi with a sharp serrated knife. A serrated knife is designed for foods with tough outsides and soft insides (like crusty bread, tomatoes, or soft fruit like peaches), because the blade can slice through the outside without squishing the inside.
Renee Comet
2. Hold the kiwi in the palm of one hand and run the peeler gently down and around the fruit to slip off the skin without pushing down too hard. Rotate the kiwi and continue removing wide strips of skin until it’s completely peeled. Be careful, as the fruit can be slippery! If your peeler is leaving your kiwi a smushed wreck, it may be time to replace your peeler – just like knife blades, vegetable peeler blades can go dull too!
Renee Comet
3. Now lay the kiwi down on its side and cut down the length of the fruit to create coined-shaped slices.
Renee Comet
How to Peel a Kiwi With a Spoon
This technique is great for cutting kiwis when you don’t have any special gadgets. Maybe you brought a kiwi into the office as a snack and want to enjoy it at your desk.
- Cut off both ends of the kiwi with a sharp serrated knife.
- Slide the bowl of a large spoon as close to the skin as you can and rotate the spoon to scoop the flesh out.
- Lay the kiwi down on its side and cut down the length of the fruit to create coined-shaped slices.
Renee Comet
Different Ways to Cut Kiwi
The most common way to cut kiwi is described above: slice down the length of the kiwi to turn the fruit into coin-shaped pieces.
However, you could also make one cut down the length of the kiwi slicing it into two long halve; then slice down the length of each half to create half-moon shaped pieces.
Some people simply prefer to cut a kiwi in half crosswise without peeling it first and eat the flesh out of the skin with a spoon. The kiwi skin acts like a tiny little bowl.
The way you end up cutting your kiwi fruit is up to you — feel free to get creative.
Easy Kiwi Recipes
Sure, kiwi makes a great snack, but there are also so many gorgeous ways to cook with it. Here are some ideas.
Kiwi Mint Salad
This green salad has a zingy lime-sambal oelek dressing.
Tara Donne
Kiwi-Ginger Zinger Protein Smoothie
When in doubt, throw it in a smoothie!
Kate Mathis, 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Matcha-Poppy Seed Panna Cotta
Sugar-soaked kiwis make for a sweet-and-sour accompaniment to this gorgeous dessert.
Matt Armendariz, Copyright 2015
Green Melon-Mint Sangria
A natural partner for sparkling white wine? All of the green fruits: kiwi, honeydew and tart green apples.
Kate Mathis, 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Oat and Chia Seed Pancakes with Mango, Pineapple and Kiwi
Skip the sugary maple syrup. The juices from the mango, pineapple and kiwi fruit salad produce a beautifully light syrup you can drizzle over instead.
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