What does it mean when a recipe calls for "hulling strawberries"?

Hull is another word for core‚ to "hull" a strawberry is to leave it whole but remove the core. There are two easy ways to hull a strawberry: use a paring knife or a strawberry huller. When using a paring knife, lift the leaves up away from the fruit, insert the tip of the knife at the outside edge of the small cone-shaped core and cut it and the leaves out in one motion.

Watch our video to see various techniques for hulling strawberries.

A strawberry huller is an inexpensive kitchen tool with a sharp jagged edge that cuts into the fruit around the core. It may look like a vegetable peeler with serrated cutting edges (as in the video), or a small metal tube with a jagged bottom which gets inserted into the core. When not simply using a paring knife, I prefer the tube-shaped hullerfor its ease of use.

For some seasonal strawberry recipes, see 7 Ways with Strawberriesand Sensational Stawberry Desserts.