The Hack That'll Have You Cutting The Thickest Veggies With Ease

Hearty vegetables have earned their place in the kitchen. From cabbage heads to winter squash, these ingredients last a long time, can be very filling, and have a variety of culinary uses. However, a common difficulty arises when attempting to cook with these vegetables: for those who don't use them often, they can feel nearly impossible to cut through.

Having a sharp knife helps, but it simply isn't enough for some of the harder types of produce. You don't want to be in a situation where you put your fingers or countertops in danger just to make dinner. It's important to have an effective way to chop these vegetables — not just for your safety, but for your energy and sanity.

Luckily, a new hack has emerged on Instagram for cutting dense varieties of produce such as spaghetti squash. Simply rock the vegetable back and forth while pressing down with the knife. The convenient reel demonstrates how to use this technique to cut difficult squash with ease.

Sidney Raz posted a video on Instagram demonstrating a new hack for cutting vegetables. In it, he places a knife on a butternut squash and rocks it back and forth. The camera angle allows viewers to watch as the knife gradually goes all the way through the squash.

Raz and many commenters demonstrated awe at the ease of the technique. After cutting all the way through the squash, Raz reacts with disbelief, referencing past difficulties with this task prior to discovering the hack in the caption of the reel. Another commenter shared similar woes, detailing having the knife become stuck when cutting through a vegetable. Many other users expressed gratitude for the hack.

This method makes it so much easier to cut through tough vegetables because it makes the knife do the work rather than your arms. Not only does this result in expending less energy when chopping, but it is also safer. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, applying more force when cutting ingredients could result in losing control of the knife. Because this hack reduces the pressure necessary to slice the vegetable, it makes it a safer way to prepare food.

There are other ways to make cutting vegetables easier that can be used in conjunction with this method. A common hack is to microwave a squash for several minutes prior to attempting to slice it. This softens the vegetable, which allows the knife to go through it more easily. In conjunction with the rocking motion, this would make chopping squash a breeze.

Commenters on the Instagram reel suggested another tip for cutting tough vegetables. Several people pointed out that it's easier to completely bake the squash prior to chopping. One claimed it results in more moist squash; however, keep in mind doing this would result in a longer cooking time than cutting the vegetable prior to roasting.

The next time you're faced with a tough vegetable in the kitchen, try this method to make preparing it much easier. You just might stop shying away from every acorn, butternut, or spaghetti squash recipe, or every Daikon radish, rutabaga, or other tough vegetable you find at the farmers market.