TIP: Dicing Apples (Quickly!)

I have many apple recipes coming your way, so I thought I'd give you this quick tutorial and other tips for working with apples!

Many of my "standard" oatmeal recipes include apples. I always, always, always add them to the oatmeal immediately after the oats. This gives them several minutes to become soft, and the oats have a chance to soak up some of the apple's juices.

Not surprisingly, I've become a pro at dicing the nummy fruit in a way that is quick and wastes as little of it as possible. Here are the steps I follow to speed through this process as fast as possible:

1. Cut the apple in half, and then quarters.

2. Take one quarter. With a paring knife, cut a narrow "half moon" shape from the inside edge--just enough to get rid of the core. (I continued using my chef's knife because I'm lazy like that. Do as I say, not as I do. ;) I'm a professional.) I typically do this step over my sink (because I have a garbage disposal) so clean-up is easier. If you don't have a garbage disposal, you can do this over your trash can...just don't drop the apple! :)

3. Now, slice the quarter into thirds.

4. For each of the three slices, dice them quickly into the saucepan. I aim for approximately 1-inch cubes or so.

5. Repeat with the remaining quarters!*

*Note: I frequently only use 1/2 an apple to make my oatmeal. Thus, I will cut my apple in half, and then place one half in an air-tight container and place in the fridge. In my experience, you don't need to add any juices or special chemicals to prevent it from browning. I've had great success with this method; I'll use one half on one morning, and the next morning, the other half is still in great condition, waiting for me! :)

That's one "glad" apple! :)

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!