Joanna Gaines Has a Brilliant Trick for Hulling Strawberries

Hulling strawberries is about to become a lot easier for you, thanks to a tip revealed by Joanna Gaines on Instagram. The reality TV star and co-owner of the Magnolia lifestyle brand has had a cooking show on the Food Network since 2021. While she is not a professionally trained chef (and her lack of formal cooking skills have been criticized by viewers), she did recently reveal a technique that may have many home cooks rethinking how they tackle a basket of berries for preserving.

In her video about making strawberry jam, Gaines is seen hulling strawberries with her young son using a straw. She pushes it up into the strawberry, popping out the stem in one swift movement. Out comes the stem and the leaves, as well as a thin core of strawberry, which her son immediately bites off for a little snack. (If you did not want to eat every single one, you could cut off the leafy top and pop the centers back into the bowl of finished berries, though the amount of fruit being sacrificed for convenience is minimal.)

Gaines uses a glass straw to cut through the berries. Another option would be a reusable metal one, preferably with a thinner, sharper edge for faster piercing. You could use a disposable plastic straw, too, but it would feel flimsier. I tried it with a thicker, reusable plastic straw, and while the plastic cut easily, the opening was too small to push out the whole hull at once—but it was enough to show me that the technique is solid and smart!

Using a straw eliminates the need for a paring knife, which can be faster for those cooks who are comfortable using one, but makes things harder for anyone trying to cook with kids. Handing them a straw is a great way to get kids involved without worrying about accidental cuts.

So, the next time you have a large number of berries to hull, put a straw in that strawberry and see for yourself just how effective this technique is.