dicing a tomato

i have watched the food network for years. i have seen people chop, slice, dice, and otherwise cut things in ways that would have me in the emergency room. recently, however, i have finally learned the easiest way to dice a tomato. this may seem incredibly basic, but it saves time and fingers. you can also apply this technique to any roundish vegetable or fruit, though it is mostly used for tomatoes and onions.

1. slice the top off the tomato and sit it on it's end, or flat side down. once you've got that on the board, you'll start to make your first series of cuts. slice the tomato lengthwise as pictured below, but do not cut through the tomato, leave a small amount uncut at the bottom. this is what holds the tomato together as you continue to make cuts.



2. turn tomato and slice crosswise. again do not cut through the tomato.



3. here's the tricky part. the tomato will want to assist you in it's dicing, but do not let it. once you've got the tomato on it's side in your hand watch your fingers and make slices the same way you did earlier. it will look like it's not going to happen with this thing, but be patient.



4. finally, you're left with diced tomato and a few big chunks. just dice the remaining chunks and your done. phew!