Did you know that there are two different ways to cut a pepper before stuffing it? And how you do it may tell you something about yourself.
There are two kinds of people. Traditionalists and… umm… un-traditionalists. I’m betting we can figure out which kind you are by how you prep your bell peppers for stuffing.
Do you keep them whole, with just the top and stem removed? You traditionalist, you.
Do you halve the peppers and leave the stem on for a cool presentation? Oh, aren’t you modern.
Whichever you prefer, we want to urge you to shake yourself free and give the other a try. You never know, you might learn something new about yourself. To help with this self-exploration, we’re giving you the how-to guide for both prepping methods. Read on to find out how to cut peppers to stuff them the traditional way and an untraditional way.
Traditional: Whole Peppers
The most traditional way to prep a pepper for stuffing (like the classic kind your mom used to make) is to keep the pepper mostly whole. All you’re going to do is cut off the top, really.
Step #1 Cut Stem Portion
Lay the pepper on its side. In a fluid motion, cut the top stem section of the pepper off. Add whooshing sound effects for added entertainment.
Step #2 Remove Seeds
Use a paring knife to remove the remaining pith and seeds.
Step #3 Clean Up Inside
Go in with the paring knife to dislodge any excess pith or seeds. You can turn the pepper over to shake some of the loose seeds out. This Classic Stuffed Peppers recipe uses whole peppers like these.
The Modern Way: Halved Stuffed Peppers
Traditional whole peppers have a large cavity to fill, which means it takes a long time for the filling to heat through. Who has time for that? I know I don’t. Thus, the modern pepper cut. These Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Peppers use halved peppers. The amazing thing about them is that you don’t even have to pre-cook the filling. The cavity of the pepper is shallow enough that you can put in raw chicken and it will cook through in the time it takes the pepper to cook.
Step #1 Cut In Half
Sit your pepper on the cutting board stem side up. Cut the pepper in half vertically right through the middle of the stem and the bottom of the pepper.
At this point you can either choose to keep the stems intact, or remove them from the peppers. By leaving the stems intact, it creates a small bowl which is easily filled to the top. And, the stem makes a nice presentation. If you decide to cut off the stem, you benefit by being able to eat the entire pepper.
Step #2 Remove Seeds
Use a paring knife to cut away all the pith and seeds.
There you have it. Have you decided to try something new? Either way you slice the pepper, I think we can all agree that a stuffed pepper is good. 😉
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes
Two Ways To Cut a Pepper for Stuffing
Did you know that there are two different ways to cut a pepper before stuffing it? And how you do it may tell you something about yourself.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 pepper
Ingredients
- Bell peppers
Instructions
Traditional Whole Peppers: The most traditional way to prep a pepper (like the kind your mom used to make) is to keep the pepper mostly whole. All you’re going to do is cut off the top, really.
- Lay the pepper on its side. In a fluid motion, cut the top stem section of the pepper off. Add whooshing sound effects for added entertainment.
- Use a paring knife to remove the remaining pith and seeds.
- Go in with the paring knife to dislodge any excess pith or seeds. You can turn the pepper over to shake some of the loose seeds out. This Classic Stuffed Peppers recipe uses whole peppers like these.
Halved Stuffed Peppers: The traditional whole peppers have a large cavity to fill, which means that it takes a long time for the filling to heat through. These days, few of us have time for that. Thus, the modern pepper cut! These Chicken Stuffed Peppers use halved peppers. The amazing thing about them is that you don’t even have to pre-cook the filling. The cavity of the pepper is shallow enough that you can put in raw chicken and it will cook through in time. Sit your pepper on the cutting board stem side up. Cut the pepper in half vertically right through the middle of the stem and the bottom of the pepper.
- At this point you can either choose to keep the stems intact, or remove them from the peppers. By leaving the stems intact, it creates a small bowl which is easily filled to the top. And, the stem makes a nice presentation. If you instead decide to cut off the stem, you benefit by being able to eat the entire pepper.
- Use a paring knife to cut away all of the pith and seeds.
This post originally appeared in October, 2015 and was revised and republished in August, 2018.
Well , I guess there is a third way to stuff peppers as mine is like neither of these. I simply remove the stems and cut a small hole just large enough the get out the seeds and pulp. Then I take a spoon and pack in my mixture layer after layer packing king of tight but not enough to break the pepper. So my peppers look nothing like these
I love my stuffed peppers with a lid.
The bottom end varies in flatness.
The stem end is almost always flat.
So I cut the stem flush with a paring knife.
Then I cut off the bottom end for a lid and clean out the insides.
Stuff them, match the lids back up, and cook right away or freeze individually in sandwich ziplocs.
They look majestic and magnificent and perky as whole peppers.
And the tough stem end makes a leakproof bottom.
Thanks for sharing your process with us, Trish!
Drat MS – “slightly” more coherence.
Not quite done yet.
Peppers have 5 segments, so if you cut down the dimples, you end uo with stuffable “boats” as finger food. True, you need sk=lightly more coherence in the filling, but you can also go for more extreme flavours as the pepper becomes even less dominant in tone.
Hello Christine. If I make my stuffed peppers the modern way (halved), do I or may I still pre-boil them? My stuffing is Hamburg based. Thank you!
Barbara, you can but you don’t have to. It’s a personal preference. I like my peppers do be a tiny bit al dente so I don’t pre-cook them. If you like them really soft, then you probably want to cook them first, especially if you’re doing the modern halved cut because those peppers don’t go in the oven for as long. Hope that helps! Oh, info about pre-cooking peppers for stuffing is over here https://thecookful.com/pre-cook-not-pre-cook-question/