When You Peel and Chop Vegetables
By hereandthere
@hereandthere (45645)
Philippines
April 12, 2017 10:49pm CST
When I peel and chop vegetables, I start with the ones that go in the pot or pan first.
For example, I will peel and chop the carrots and potatoes first. While they're cooking, then I will prepare the greens (either pechay or cabbage) since they will be put in last.
When it comes to chopping, though, they will start small and uniform, then end up big and uneven. I'm only careful and consistent at the beginning, then get sloppy because I just want to get it over with.
Are you organized when preparing ingredients?
Are your slices always even?
When you make something that has to be shaped by hand, are they the same sizes?
19 people like this
22 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
13 Apr 17
I am the same way as you. I will try to make the slices as uniform as possible but then I start getting lay and just wanting to get it over with.
I don't like to peel the potatoes but it's a split household here. Two of us don't mind and two of us do.
3 people like this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i'd rather peel potatoes and carrots than slice broccoli and cauliflower.
i would still rather peel and slice, than do the actual cooking in front of the stove.
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@ScribbledAdNauseum i feel like a melting candle and end up with numb hands and no appetite after cooking.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere I'd rather do the cooking in front of the stove...
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i boil or marinate pork and chicken as soon as i come home from the market and grocery while they're tender, so i just take them out plus the vegetables when it's time to cook.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
Yes, I am that way. I like them to be all with same sizes. That's why sometimes I think I am with OCD. 
I do the same style as you too. I chop all those needed to saute first like garlic and onions. Then , the meat. While i am tenderizing the meat, I now chop the other veggies that are hard and should be tenderized first. Then I would chop the green and dip them in water so they can be washed thoroughly of any fertilizer they have been treated.
I do the same style as you too. I chop all those needed to saute first like garlic and onions. Then , the meat. While i am tenderizing the meat, I now chop the other veggies that are hard and should be tenderized first. Then I would chop the green and dip them in water so they can be washed thoroughly of any fertilizer they have been treated.1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
17 Apr 17
@hereandthere You boil them all, even if you are not going to cook them yet. So, should you decide to have them fried, it is already boiled. Wouldn't boiling make the fried meats tasteless?
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
17 Apr 17
@SIMPLYD huh? i didn't mention anything about frying. hmm, maybe it's better to write a new post to explain it in detail.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
when i come home from the wet market and grocery store, i boil or marinate the pork and chicken while they're tender, transfer to plastic containers, label, then store in the fridge or freezer.
i wash veggies after peeling and after slicing.
sometimes i miscalculate and overcook some veggies, while others are undercooked.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (139831)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere It is nice to give some tips. Most of the time I can cook with the help of a recipe book.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@Shavkat it was also holy week few years back. it was only me here and an older relative. my suggestion for lunch was kangkong with tokwa and tausi (tofu and black beans). she was intrigued by it, but it turned out well.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i don't like cooking, either. sometimes i give ideas or suggestions to whoever is cooking.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
16 Apr 17
@valmnz i agree. i'm not really much into presentation. as long as someone else made it, i don't mind if it's imperfect.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
16 Apr 17
it will all be cooked and eaten anyway, right? i am in awe at those who do it for a living, working with food.
1 person likes this
@valmnz (17097)
• New Zealand
16 Apr 17
@hereandthere I'm sure no one even notices uniformity, even in restaurants!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
13 Apr 17
My husband is the chef in this house, I let him do it and he does a fantastic job.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i love reading about men who cook and bake here. i never knew my father could cook until he retired.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@PainsOnSlate how lucky you are. did your husband teach your sons how to cook?
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere My dad was a good cook too.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
but you're a good cook, you like cooking. i'm not. sometimes i don't even know what i'm doing!
1 person likes this
@youless (112481)
• Guangzhou, China
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere Practice makes perfect
1 person likes this
@much2say (55584)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Apr 17
I am organized now, but it took experience to get there! I like to think I can multitask in the kitchen pretty well now.
I remember my mother always sliced perfectly - and quickly! It took me a while for the fast part, but as far as getting things cut and shaped evenly, I can definitely do that . . . I think that comes from doing arts and crafts for so long too .
.1 person likes this
@much2say (55584)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Apr 17
@hereandthere Precision and presentation may be part of my culture . . . but it's kinda not part of personality 
(only with "some" things ). My mom was all about neatness with gift wrapping - and even cutting out coupons (I'm not that nice and neat ).
(only with "some" things ). My mom was all about neatness with gift wrapping - and even cutting out coupons (I'm not that nice and neat ).1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
21 Apr 17
maybe it's part of your culture, too? the precision and presentation bit?
being naturally good with you hands is a plus point, too!
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
I don't cook so I don't usually peel or chop vegetables. As to being organized, despite of having more than a dozen of planners, I'm still not an organized person.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere I'm so random but not messed up.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@toniganzon because you know your priorities
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i try to avoid it by doing the marketing/groceries then boiling and marinating the pork and chicken so others here can do the rest.
maybe you're not organized on the less important things, but you're flexible, resourceful, can multitask and decisive where it matters.
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere Though I do not like cooking much,I am pretty good when cutting the vegetables.Better organized .too.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i avoid cooking if i could.
i'm not good with my hands, too.
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
16 Apr 17
@hereandthere How about preparing a cup of coffee or tea?
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@LadyDuck i had to scroll through your posts to find it - i was remembering the tortellini you made last christmas
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
i'm not surprised because you're quite gifted in the kitchen and have high standards.
i remember those little things you had to shape before cooking or baking and thought how tiring it must be to make them all the same size, yet they were eaten up so quickly by your family.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471356)
• Switzerland
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere This is what I told a couple of days ago to my husband, I spent two hours in the kitchen to prepare a perfect dinner and in ten minutes everything has disappeared. Well, as I like to cook, it's not a problem.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
sometime i even cut myself while using the peeler!
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
@JudyEv when you're not good with your hands, even simple basic tools can give you problems. i remember we had a can opener that i couldn't figure out how to use.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (339644)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 Apr 17
@hereandthere That's easy to do. You wouldn't think using a peeler was rocket science would you?
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
15 Apr 17
i peel and chop everything needed for cooking, wash the pan and the ladle, and put them all within my reach, including the salt, pepper, and other condiments, then i start to cook.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
16 Apr 17
if i need to boil/tenderize pork or chicken, i do that first. but if it's saute/stir-fry, i prepare everything before starting.
1 person likes this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
17 Apr 17
@hereandthere i believe that is how we should do it. there are some fruit vegetables that turn dark when peeled and remain in a bowl with no water in it, like potatoes.
1 person likes this
@manasamanu (3746)
• Bangalore, India
13 Apr 17
My choppings are not even and I usually don't cook, it's my mother who does that.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
17 Apr 17
i don't really like cooking, but i'm still glad i know how to cook a few dishes
1 person likes this
@manasamanu (3746)
• Bangalore, India
17 Apr 17
@hereandthere Yeah I do know some, still learning and there's a lot to explore in this kitchen science.
.1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
18 Apr 17
@manasamanu i think figuring out cooking is easy than baking.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Apr 17
I am a terrible chopper, they are all different sizes
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
it stresses me out sometimes because someone here can have difficulty eating when the greens are too long or the vegetable are not soft enough
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
13 Apr 17
My slices are never even but they taste the same!
And I also start with what goes in the pot first. I like to wash up as I go along, too.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
13 Apr 17
that's what matters to me, too. i never comment however food looks like. it's enough that someone else did the cooking because i only cook when i have to.
i wash veggies after peeling and after slicing to be sure. but i can never wash up after cooking because my hands are numb and i feel so tired.
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
6 Jun 18
@hereandthere
I guess I do not specify how I peel and chop my vegetables. I do not have any special order. I just do it.
1 person likes this
@Tigerize72 (58)
• United States
14 Apr 17
I try to be organized & cut things uniform but after awhile I just want to get it done like you said. I hate cutting & peeling veges, it takes me forever.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45645)
• Philippines
8 May 17
it's good that you help your mother, and follow directions well. maybe someday, you will learn how to cook, too.
