The Genius Way Giada De Laurentiis Cuts Up Canned Tomatoes For Her Sauces

Everyone knows the silent struggle of cooking with whole canned tomatoes. Pouring them directly into the pot leaves you with plump, intact tomatoes in desperate need of chopping or crushing. If you use a wooden spoon to do so, you'll likely end up with unevenly squashed pieces. Then again, if you cut them on a board before tossing them in, you might end up with a messy kitchen as their juices splatter everywhere with each slice — especially considering how canned tomatoes are pre-cooked in their own tomato juice.

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has one genius trick to cut up whole canned tomatoes for pasta sauces without making a mess. In a video she shared on Facebook of her classic Bolognese sauce, she pours canned tomatoes directly into the pot after sautéing ground beef with veggies. To save time and prevent any splatters, she then uses scissors to cut the tomatoes up individually. What's good about her simple hack is it gives you more control over the size of the tomato pieces; allowing you to make them as chunky or as tiny as you like. It's also handy for when you're multitasking in the kitchen but want to keep your workspace as clean as possible.

De Laurentiis' simple hack works wonders with canned tomatoes, but you can't really use it when you have to cut fresh tomatoes. For one, whole tomatoes are slippery when ripe and washed. Using scissors to cut them up can lead to slips and finger cuts. There's also no guarantee you can cut them up evenly, considering how you'd have to hold each piece with one hand while the other handles the scissors.

Instead of scissors, it's best to stick to your trusty kitchen knives for fresh tomatoes. A sharp serrated knife is the best tool to cut slices of tomatoes like a professional because its grooves make it easier to slice through the tomato's slippery skin. The technique is to slice horizontally across the tomato, allowing the blade to cut through it without needing to push. This will ensure you have a clean slice for burgers and sandwiches every time. For small cherry tomatoes, you can use the same type of knife. To save time and slice lots of cherry tomatoes all at once, sandwich them between two flat plates and gently press down while slicing through the middle. Avoid pressing too hard or you'll end up crushing the cherry tomatoes.