How to Slice a Tomato With a Paring Knife

First use your paring knife to slice away its core, where the stem was attached.

Generally, chefs use a paring knife to peel a tomato and also to remove the tomato's tough, unpalatable core. A sharp paring knife makes quick work of a tomato's skin and core, and its small 2-inch to 4-inch length is strong and easy to maneuver. If you only want to pull out one knife to slice up your tomato, use the paring knife length and make sure the blade is extra sharp. Smaller paring knifes work best with smaller tomato varieties, such as cherry tomatoes.

Things You'll Need

• Tomato
• Cutting board
• Sharp 4-inch paring knife

Instructions

1. Place the tomato onto the cutting board and turn the tomato onto its side. Face the top end, where the core is, towards you. Grasp the tomato gently but firmly with your nondominant hand and hold it against the cutting board.

2. Hold the paring knife with your dominant hand and insert its tip at an angle into the top of the tomato close to the core. Drive the knife's tip into the tomato about an inch, so the knife's tip hits just beneath the center of the core and then rotate the tomato while cutting a circle around the core. Once you've completed the circle, the core should easily fall out.

3. Continue holding the tomato on its side. Cut the other end off the tomato and slice across the top to create a more even form. Insert your paring knife's tip into the top center of the tomato at its widest point, also known as the tomato's "belly." Create a 1-inch deep, 1-inch long slit with your knife's tip. This is your slice's starting point.

4. Slice into your starting slit at an angle with your paring knife's blade and cut through the entire width of the tomato with even strokes. Cut each remaining half the same way, creating thin slices that are parallel to the first center slice.

5. Slice away any seeds with your paring knife. The Culinary Institute of America's instructional book "In the Hands of a Chef: The Professional Chef's Guide to Essential Kitchen Tools" recommends this step if you are creating tomato wedge garnishes.

References

• "No More Takeout: A Visual Do-It-Yourself Guide to Cooking"; Stephen Hartigan and Jerry Boak; 2009
• "In the Hands of a Chef: The Professional Chef's Guide to Essential Kitchen Tools"; The Culinary Institute of America; 2007
• Cooks Illustrated: Tomato Basics
• Serious Eats: Knife Skills: How to Slice and Dice a Tomato