Tips on Cutting Strawberries for Fruit Trays

Putting together a fruit platter is a lot like arranging flowers. It is important to choose many colors and textures of fruit to create a tantalizing tray. All of the fruit on the platter should be cut so that pieces are ready-to-eat--free of leaves, stems, rinds and pits. Strawberries can be a tricky fruit to cut, especially the smaller ones. There are several methods of cutting strawberries for presentation on a fruit tray.

First, remove the stems with a small paring knife or with a corer. Then, carefully slice strawberries to desired thickness. Strawberries can be sliced either lengthwise or crosswise, depending on how you want them to look on the tray. Sliced strawberries work well as accents on trays of appetizers or desserts.

Remove the stems with a paring knife or corer. Then, simply cut the strawberries in half lengthwise. If your strawberries are on the large side, you may want to trim off any excess white core to improve the appearance.

Remove the stems and halve the strawberries, then cut each piece in half again. Quartering is useful for large strawberries when you want smaller chunks for a fruit tray. Again, remove any excess core to improve the appearance.

Whole strawberries are simple to include on a fruit tray and work best with other large chunks of fruit, such as pieces of melon and pineapple. Simply remove the stems with a paring knife or corer. Slice off the entire top of the strawberry for a clean look.