Last Thursday I went on a shoot with celebrity Chef Danny Boome for a new series we are doing called "iMag's Cooking School." During the shoot I was completely amazed at 1. how quickly he could slice and dice, 2. how funny he is off-camera, and 3. how much I really didn't know about preparing vegetables.

Danny and me at the shoot!

As a Nutritionista, I'm constantly making meals that are loaded with veggies. One vegetable I've been eating a lot of lately are red peppers. They are loaded with twice the amount of vitamin C as oranges and are very tasty. From fajitas - to stir-fry - to even pasta, I've been putting them in almost everything. However, every time I try to cook with these crunchy vegetables I never know how to cut them. I end up chopping them up into uneven shapes or struggling to get rid of the seeds.

Fortunately, during the shoot Danny Boome came to my rescue! For one of of videos he demonstrated all the proper techniques for cutting produce and a pepper was at the top of his list. So to help all of you out there who are just as clueless as I was, I have created a simple step-by-step visual to help you perfectly cut your pepper.

To Start: Put your pepper on it's side and grab a sharp knife.

Step 1: Cut off the top of the pepper.

Step 2: Remove the stem from the top (it should just pop out) and leave the cap of the pepper to the side. The cap can be used as garnish later.

Step 3: Run a knife through the interior of the pepper in a circular motion. This will remove the core, which contains a lot of seeds.

Step 4: Turn your pepper upside down and slice it in half.

Step 5: Flip the half of your pepper over so the interior is facing you and run your knife gently through it to cut out the membrane (this is the thick area on the inside of the pepper).

Step 6: Flip your pepper so the exterior is facing you. Place two fingers on the back of your knife and slice long, even pieces. Repeat this with the other half of the pepper.

Voila! You have now achieved pepper perfection.

Stay tuned to iMag's Food Page for Danny's upcoming videos. Thanks for reading my blog!