How to Cut Lettuce

Co-authored by Sarena Nelson

If you love salad, making your own at home can open up endless possibilities! Chopping lettuce is fairly easy, as long as you have a cutting board and a large, sharp knife. A chef's knife works well for this process. Cutting iceberg lettuce is a bit different from cutting softer heads, but either way, you'll have your lettuce chopped or shredded in no time.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Chopping or Shredding Iceberg Lettuce

1
Wash the outside of the lettuce and remove the outer leaves. Rinse the lettuce under running water and then pull off the dark green leaves. You can just toss these, as they won't be as crisp and tasty as the inner ones.^{[1]
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- It's not harmful to eat these leaves if you'd like.
2
Remove the core from the lettuce. To remove the core, hold the head in both of your hands with the stem facing down. Hit the stem hard against a flat surface, which will cause the core to detach; you can just pull it out.^{[2]
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- You may need to work a little to get the core out. Some people hit the stem at an angle against an edge to get the core out.
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3
Slice the lettuce head in half. Place the head with the stem side down, where the stem used to be. Using a large chef's knife, slice through the head from top to bottom, cutting it in half.^{[3]
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4
Cut rows and turn the lettuce to chop it. Place half a head with the flat side down on the chopping board. Starting from one edge, move in about 1 inch (2.5 cm) and slice a row. Move across the head, cutting about every 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so. Turn the lettuce so your knife is now perpendicular to the cuts you just made. Repeat the process, cutting across the lettuce every 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so. You'll end up with chunks of chopped lettuce that are about 1 by 1 inch (2.5 by 2.5 cm).^{[4]
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- Repeat the process with the other half of the lettuce.
- You can make the rows slightly larger or smaller depending on your preference.
5
Cut the lettuce into quarters if you want to shred it. Cut a half a head in half again, moving from the top toward the stem end like you did when cutting the head down the center. Place the quarter on the cutting board with a flat side down. You should have one flat part facing out to the side, as well. Set your knife parallel to the long side and move it over the edge of the cabbage just a little bit. Slice down to shred the edge of the lettuce.^{[5]
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- Keep moving in just a little bit and slicing down until you've shred the whole quarter. The closer you can get to the edge, the thinner the pieces will be.
- Repeat the process with the other quarters.
- You can also shred lettuce in a food processor that has a shredding/grating attachment.
6
Store your cut lettuce in the fridge for up to 1 week. While it's best to store it before you cut it, lettuce will stay good for up to a week or so after you cut it. Wash it thoroughly in a colander or salad spinner. If you have a salad spinner, press the top to get all the water out; otherwise, let the lettuce drain thoroughly. Bag it up and push out as much air as you can to store it in the refrigerator.^{[6]
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- Some people use other methods to store it. For instance, you can try putting it in a sealed container with a paper towel to keep it fresh.^{[7]
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- It's okay if the lettuce is a little moist—it continues to absorb the moisture even after it's cut.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Cutting Other Lettuces

1
Wash the lettuce head under running water. Be sure to get off any grit or other dirt on the outer leaves. If the lettuce is fairly loose, run water into the middle leaves as well, and then shake the water out of it.^{[8]
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- If any of the outer leaves are damaged or wilting, peel them off and toss them.
2
Slice the head with the stem intact. Hold the stem in your non-dominant hand and your knife in the other. Insert the point of the knife into the side of the lettuce above the stem, going through a leaf and then all the way through the head. The sharp edge of the knife should be pointing away from the stem. Slide your knife away from the stem, slicing through the lettuce leaves and coming out the top end. Turn the lettuce a quarter turn and do it again.^{[9]
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- This process cuts the leaves lengthwise so your final pieces aren't so big.
3
Chop the lettuce in a triangular pattern to get bite-sized pieces. Cut the top of the leaves at a 45-degree angle, moving from the side of the lettuce to the top of the head in the middle. Cut the other side the same way, like you're forming the top 2 sides of a triangle. Then, slice off the top of the triangle by going straight across. Repeat this pattern while you chop the rest of the lettuce.^{[10]
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- This pattern creates smaller pieces than if you just cut straight across the whole way down.
4
Shred your lettuce by slicing the head in half first. Place the lettuce on the cutting board and slice it in half from the stem up to the top. You can cut the stem off if it's too tough to deal with. Take half the head and place it cut-side up on the board. Starting on one of the long edges, roll the lettuce over itself until you have a cylinder. Hold the cylinder in place with your fingers, then begin slicing off one end of the cylinder, making the cuts as finely as you can. Make the same cuts all the way down the cylinder until it's all chopped.^{[11]
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- This technique allows you to get a better grip on the lettuce.
- You can also use this technique, called chiffonade, with fresh herbs like basil.
5
Keep the cut lettuce in the fridge for up to 1 week. If at all possible, store the lettuce before cutting it. Otherwise, rinse it off thoroughly in a colander or salad spinner. Use the salad spinner to get all the water out by pressing the top or let it drain completely in a colander. Bag it up, getting out as much of the air as possible before you store it in the fridge.^{[12]
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- Another storage method is to place it in a sealed container with a paper towel.^{[13]
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- Make sure that your refrigerator is around 40 °F (4 °C).