The Fruit-Slicing Trick Cat Cora Swears By

There are some fruits that are just easier to cut than others. Take a banana, for instance. All you need to do is simply peel it and slice it. But then there are those that are a little more difficult. Like a cantaloupe or a mango. They're bulkier, more difficult to hold steady as you cut, and tend to make quite a mess if you don't know what you're doing. If you're like many people, you just grab a knife, start peeling and cutting, and hope for the best. 

Fortunately, there are easier — and safer — ways to slice up your favorite fruit. Take it from celebrity chef Cat Cora, who you may know as the first-ever female Iron Chef on Food Network. She has a hack that doesn't involve any extra time, steps, or fancy equipment. Here's how she recommends cutting those trickier fruits the next time you're craving something fresh and juicy.

When going to cut a fruit with thick skin — like an avocado or mango — your first instinct is likely to peel the skin first before you slice it. But according to Cat Cora, that should actually be your last step. "You can dice an avocado or mango in seconds by slicing them right in the skin," she suggested in an interview with Insider. You can do this with any fruit that has a thicker rind or a pit in the center, like kiwi or peaches. It prevents the fruit from slipping around while you try to hack it up.

For mangos specifically, culinary scientist Jessica Gavin recommends cutting the fruit in half, and then scoring the inside (without cutting through the skin). You can then simply scoop the flesh out from the rind — easy peasy. Simply Recipes notes that for this to be successful, however, you want a fruit that's ripe but still firm. If it's too mushy, it'll make a sloppy mess.