How to Prepare for Fruit and Vegetable Carving

In order to select and prepare your fruit and vegetables for carving, please follow these steps:

1. When selecting fruit and vegetables, make sure they are fresh and not overripe, with a smooth skin. Overripe fruit will be difficult to carve and handle. Also select fruit and vegetables that are colourful and you think would look great once carved.
2. Wash and dry and refrigerate fruit and vegetables so they stay fresh and are easy to carve.
3. Ensure that the knife used is stainless steel and very sharp.
4. Handle fruit and vegetables very gently.
5. After finishing a carving, rinse with ice water, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. They can keep for up to 3-4 days when stored in this manner. Some fruit can even keep up to a week.
6. If you display fruit in room temperature for a long period of time, spray with ice water every couple hours so that it stays fresh and the colours remain vivid.
7. Vegetables that will change color after carving should be put in cold water that has lemon juice or vinegar. For example, potatoes and apples should be cared for in this way.

Once you know these simple tips, you should be well on your way to getting started!