A step-by-step photo tutorial on how to slice peaches. The best way to eat a sweet, juicy, ripe peach is with the juice dripping down your hands, but if you want to bake with them, you’ll want to slip off the skins and slice them up.

While I was making Raspberry Peach Cobbler the other day, I decided I should post a tutorial on how to slice peaches. It isn’t difficult at all, but there are a few tricks that make the job easier.

How To Cut A Peach

What type of peaches should I buy?

Most of the peaches available at the grocery store are freestone peaches. If you buy peaches at a farmer’s market or have a peach tree, they may be clingstone peaches.

Freestone peaches are generally larger than clingstone peaches. It can be hard to tell the difference just by looking at them, but once you cut into them, it’s easy to tell the difference. The pit in freestone peaches practically falls out of the peach when the peach is cut in half, making them easier to eat and easier to slice.

With a clingstone peach, the pit clings to the peach and you’ll need to cut the pit away from the peach flesh. Clingstone peaches are typically used for commercially canned peaches.

I understand there’s also a new hybrid peach called a semi-freestone, but I haven’t seen them at the market yet.

How do I know if a peach is ripe?

If a peach is ripe, it will be slightly soft. If it’s hard to the touch, it’s not ripe. It should also smell sweet and have a dark yellow color. If it looks green, it’s not ripe and I would avoid buying it.

Usually, the peaches you buy at the grocery store will not be soft/ripe and recipe ready. So try and plan ahead. Buy your peaches a few days ahead of time so the peaches have time to ripen on the counter. Here are some great tips on ripening peaches and info on when is peach season in your area.

Blanching the peach to remove the skin

Blanch a peach by placing it in boiling water for 45 seconds. I’ll often use a large mixing bowl in my microwave to boil the water, then I can just dry it and use it again to make a recipe. However, if you’re doing a lot of peaches, use a pot of water on the stove so the water stays boiling hot.
After 45 seconds, remove the peach from the boiling water and plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking process.

collage of step by step photos of slicing peaches

Slicing the Peach

Use a small paring knife to easily peel the skin off the peaches. If your peaches are ripe, you may not even need a knife, just peel it with your fingers.
Find the natural indent of the peach, start at the stem and cut the peach in half.
Freestone Peach: With your hands, gently twist each side of the peach in opposite directions and the peach will pull apart into two halves. Remove the pit. The pit should just pop out, but if not, you can carefully pry it out with a spoon.
Put the peach cut side down and make lengthwise cuts through each peach half as shown above.
Clingstone Peach: If you have clingstone peaches, the peach won’t twist apart. Instead, make slices all around the outside of the peeled peach. Use a paring knife to cut each slice away from the pit.

That’s all there is to it. Within minutes you’ve got beautiful peach slices ready to use in your favorite recipe or just eat a slice at a time. Fresh peaches are available May through late September, and peak season is July and August. So be sure and enjoy those gorgeous peaches while you can!

Raspberry_Peach_Cobbler_With-Ice-Cream-Barbara-Bakes

Now that you know how to slice peaches, check out my Raspberry Peach Cobbler recipe. It’s bound to be one of your favorite summer desserts. If you want to start the day with peaches, try my Peaches and Cream Ebleskivers or Peach Cobbler Muffins.

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