How to Cut Kale

A person cutting kale on a cutting board from the top view.

Learn How to Cut Kale for use in salads, soups, and stews with this easy step-by-step guide! This guide also helps you make the most of this nutritious leafy green by detailing how to cut kale stems and teaching you how to use the stems in various recipes.

Course How To

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 5kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

1 bunch Kale

Instructions

Wash and rinse kale leaves: Place large kale leaves in a large bowl (or the kitchen sink) filled with water making sure that the kale leaves are fully submerged in water. Rinse each leaf under cold running water.
Dry kale leaves: Line a baking sheet with a kitchen towel and transfer the washed kale so that each leaf touches the towel underneath. Then, beginning at one end of the sheet, roll the towel into a cylinder with the kale inside to dry the leaves. Alternatively, if you have one, you can use a salad spinner to dry the kale.
Remove the stems: Hold the base of a kale stem with one hand and place your other hand around the stem, just above your first hand. Using your first hand, pull the stem downwards so that the leaves pass through the fist of your second hand and, in the process, detach from the stem. Or, you can place a piece of kale on a cutting board. Fold its leaves in half, so the stem lies at one end of the fold. Use a sharp pairing knife to slice the leaves away from the stem in one swift movement.
Chop Kale: Place a large kale leaf on a cutting board and roll it up like a cigar. Chop it into thin strips using a sharp knife. If you are using it for salads, cut it into thin strips. For soups and stews, chop it in large chunks.*
If necessary, rotate and chop in the other direction to make even more slices. Repeat the same process with the rest of the kale leaves.

Notes

*Alternatively, you can tear the large leaves by hand into small pieces.
Take kale out of the fridge and cut right before you are ready to use it in your recipe: Kale leaves start to soften as soon as you take them out of the fridge, so I recommend keeping it in the fridge until you are ready to use it in your recipes.

Nutrition