Ditch The Knife: A Fork Removes Strawberry Stems While Wasting Less Fruit

A craving for strawberries can inspire you to make a dessert, smoothie, salad, or even a frozen daiquiri. But no matter how you enjoy them, you'll likely begin by removing the berry's leafy top, known as the calyx. Before you take a paring knife to it, hear us out. A fork can remove the stems just as easily, while also wasting less fruit.

Instead of cutting the berries crosswise at the top, take a fork and position the stem between two tines. Press the fork lightly into the flesh, place your thumb over the leaves, then pull up the fork to remove the stem. Alternatively, gently twist and pull the fork to detach the top. To get as much of the tougher core out with the stem and leaves, pull back the leaves to firmly position the fork exactly at the base of the stem.

Other popular hacks exist. Some folks push a straw through the bottom of the berry. Others use a teaspoon to dig out the core. Strawberry hullers and other helpful gadgets work too, but cost money and valuable drawer space, while using a knife to cut more deliberately around the stem, rather than straight across the berry, is more time-consuming than the fork hack.

Using a fork to remove strawberry stems also helps reduce food waste. Bits of strawberry probably feel inconsequential in the grand scheme, but in the U.S., where an estimated 30-40% of the overall food supply becomes food waste (via USDA), every crumb counts. On that note, you can reuse the still-edible strawberry stems and leaves, as well as any flesh, to minimize or eliminate waste.

Strawberry tops can infuse water, vinegar, or simple syrup. The syrup in particular can flavor all sorts of beverages, including cocktails, lattes, or homemade strawberry lemonade. The tops can be blitzed into smoothies, dried for teas, or added to salads. Leaves can be repurposed in recipes that call for blended or chopped greens or herbs, like pesto or chimichurri. When in doubt, they can be composted.

As for the juicy, fleshy berry, it has endless uses, such as savory applications, like salads, lamb chops, grilled cheese, and barbecue sauce. But we wouldn't blame you for prioritizing strawberry dessert recipes above all else. Classics range from no-churn ice cream and traditional strawberry shortcake to no-bake strawberry cheesecake and easy strawberry pie. Compote and jam are also great ways to use up a large amount of ripe strawberries.