How to Cut a Turnip: 3 Ways to Cut a Turnip

Turnips are root vegetables belonging to the Brassica family, along with cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Round in shape and occasionally featuring a purple top where the root has been exposed to sunlight in its final stages of growth, turnips have crunchy white flesh that tastes a bit like cabbage when eaten raw.

Note that in certain parts of the United Kingdom (as well as certain provinces in Canada) “turnip” refers to rutabaga, a similar root vegetable in the Brassica family with yellow coloring.

Cutting a turnip is similar to cutting radishes or small potatoes. Make sure you have a sharp paring knife and a cutting board. Follow these steps:

1. 1. Wash the turnip. Thoroughly wash the turnip with cool water, scrubbing to remove dirt and debris. Dry with paper towels.
2. 2. Peel the skin. Turnip peels are safe to eat, but you can peel a turnip using a vegetable peeler if you desire. If you have a larger turnip, bigger than two to three inches, you should peel the turnip—bigger turnips tend to have a more bitter skin.
3. 3. Remove the root end. Slice off the root end of the turnip and the stem end of the turnip.
4. 4. Slice the turnip. Using a sharp knife, slice the turnip widthwise to your desired thickness. You can even use a mandolin to slice the turnip into ultra-thin slices.
5. 5. Make turnip cubes. To slice the turnip into cubes, stand the turnip on its flat side, then slice the turnip in half lengthwise. Slice each half of the turnip in half again, so you have four quarters, then cut the quarters in half.
6. 6. Cut turnip strips: To make turnip strips. Slice the turnip in half lengthwise, then cut each half into strips lengthwise to your desired thickness.

You can use turnips in a similar way to other hard root vegetables, like potatoes, beets, parsnips, or radishes. Consider the following methods prepare and cook turnips:

1. 1. Raw: Use raw, thinly sliced turnips in a salad, or pickle your turnips.
2. 2. Roasted: To make a side dish, roast turnip cubes with salt, pepper, and olive oil. You can even roast turnip slices with eggs, cheese, and breadcrumbs to make a gratin.
3. 3. Fried: You can fry strips of turnips until they are crispy to make turnip fries. You can also add turnip strips to stir-fry dishes.
4. 4. Simmered: You can add diced turnips to a stew or soup. To make mashed turnips, simmer diced turnips in boiling water, drain the water, then mash them with milk and butter.

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