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.

1. 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.
2. Use a paring knife to remove the remaining pith and seeds.
3. 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.

1. 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.
2. Use a paring knife to cut away all of the pith and seeds.