Seido Techniques: How To Cut And Core Cabbage

Knowing how to cut cabbage is a crucial step in making slaws, soups, stir-fries, and many more recipes. Learning how to core a cabbage is also a helpful step in broadening your culinary skills. Learn how to turn this big, round vegetable into a miniature and manageable ingredient with ease.

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Types of Cabbage

Cabbage can be found in the produce section of your grocery store, and you may discover a variety of types to choose from.

Green Cabbage

Green cabbage is the most common kind, and it's usually the cheapest. Large, smooth leaves are packed densely in compact heads. This variation works fine for classic coleslaw, but you can also make sautés and soups with it.

Red Cabbage

Red cabbage looks like green cabbage in many ways aside from the color. The texture is a little more crunchy, and the peppery flavor asserts itself a bit. If you use anything but stainless-steel cookware, the cabbage might discolor to a strange blue shade.

Savoy Cabbage

Savoy cabbage leaves aren't packed as tightly, and their texture is softer. You can use this variety as a substitute for napa cabbage in most recipes. The flavor is delicate and not as sulfurous as that of other cabbages.

Napa Cabbage

Napa cabbage features an elongated shape, almost like an oval. The leaves spring from crisp, white stems and have pale green edges that are soft to the touch.

Essential Tools Needed

Once you're familiar with the steps, cutting a cabbage becomes a breeze, but having the right tools is essential for the best results.

Nakiri Knife

An Epokishi AUS-10 Nakiri knife is an excellent choice because nakiri knives are intended for cutting vegetables. They make clean, straight cuts without rocking motions being necessary.

Cutting Board

Use this flat surface to protect your countertop when cutting food, keep your knives sharp, and avoid cross-contamination between different foods.

Chef Knife

This large, versatile knife can handle many different tasks, and the curved blade is ideal for rocking motions that enable quick, repetitive cutting. If you don't have one already, the Inferuno Gyuto AUS 10 Steel Damascus Chef Knife makes a trustworthy addition to your kitchen collection.

Paring Knife (Optional)

A paring knife can be part of the Kanpeki Damascus Knife Set or something you buy as a stand-alone product. The shorter blade is ideal for precision tasks, including peeling, slicing, and trimming.

Step-by-Step Cutting and Coring Process

Cutting and coring cabbage are necessary steps, whether you're eventually slicing or dicing the vegetable.

Removing Outer Leaves

Find the base of the leaves of your cabbage, and grasp the vegetable there. Gently pull each leaf away from the cabbage head. Outer cabbage leaves are usually tough, damaged, or both. Most people enjoy the inner leaves far better. Keep peeling until you get fresh inner leaves that are more appetizing.

Cutting the Cabbage in Half

Use your chef's knife to make a cut right down the middle of the cabbage. This should split it into equal halves.

The next step is putting each half on its flat side down. Cut each one down its new middle to give you four quarters.

Coring the Cabbage

Each quarter should have part of the stem remaining. This part is known as the core, and you don't want to eat that part, so cut it out. Given the smaller size relative to the whole cabbage, switching to your paring knife might make this part easier.

Bonus: Different Slicing Techniques

If you want to know how to slice cabbage for coleslaw, lay the cabbage quarters on your cutting board flat. Set three to the side, and slice one into thin shreds with a sharp knife before repeating for each remaining piece.

If you need to know how to dice cabbage, slice each quarter into thin strips. Gather them up, rotate them, and then make crosswise cuts to form small, even squares.

Master Cabbage Cutting With These Simple Tips

If you want to be able to cut any food successfully, check out our Ultimate Guide to Japanese Cutting Techniques. For now, these steps cover how to chop a cabbage. As always, the best way to cut cabbage is with your Seido Knives.

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