There are myriad reasons to cut grapes or cherry tomatoes in half, the most notable for parents being to protect their little ones from choking. Even if you aren’t a parent of toddlers, though, you probably find yourself halving grapes, cherry tomatoes, or pitted olives when preparing all kinds of recipes, from Waldorf salad to…
It isn’t terribly difficult to chop these things in half one at a time, but why do that when you can get the job done easier — and quicker — with a hack? And when we say “quicker,” we mean in just a few seconds for a handful or two of fruit.
The trick is to use two plastic lids and a serrated knife, things you probably already have in your kitchen drawers. Place the cherry tomatoes (or whichever small round food item you want to slice) between two matching, flat-rimmed plastic lids. Think: Tupperware lids or the tops of tubs for cottage cheese, sour cream, or yogurt. Place the bottom lid rim-up, and the top lid rim-down to create a sandwich situation. Then press the top lid down lightly to keep the tomatoes in place, and slice through the fruit using the serrated knife.
If you don’t have any plastic lids, you can employ the same method using two plates, placing the bottom plate right side up and the top plate upside down. Plates with steep slopes will not work, however, since they cause uneven cuts and often leave little to no space for the knife to pass through. Plastic lids tend to work better overall, so rifle through the recycling bin if you must (but make sure the lids are clean before you put food between them).
This hack will save you time in the kitchen by allowing you to slice anywhere from 10 to 20 grapes or cherry tomatoes at once, depending on the size of the plastic lids or plates. Which means you can get to the fun part — eating — much sooner.
