Cutting Bar Fruit Is Simple and Easy

The Proper Way To Cut Bar Fruit

Again, don’t spend too much time on this, as it’s all common sense. This is a quick, easy lesson. Just remember – sanitation first!

Note: The “Cutting Bar Fruit” video is currently being “re-done.” Cutting bar fruit is easy, so for now just Google the term and see how others are doing it.

Most bars carry only a few types of fruit. If you can slice a lemon or lime into 8 pieces – slices or wedges – you have passed the test!

I’ll get into Bar Sanitation in more detail in a later lesson. For now, let’s go over a few things you really need to know:

Bar Safety and Sanitation First!

• Never wash the knife or cutting board in the 3-sink glass washing tubs!
• Cutting board should NOT be wood!
• The bar should have some sort of sanitizing solution for the knife and cutting board
• Have the kitchen staff sharpen the knife regularly
• Practice proper food handling procedures for all fruit and other garnishes
• Store both knife and cutting board in its proper place
• Never cut fruit on top of the bar! Bartenders, many times, are cutting fruit while the bar is open – nothing wrong with that. There’s a lot going on, and the last thing you want is a customer handling your fruit. Or breathing/sneezing all over it. Or grabbing your knife, so…
• Never leave the knife within a customer’s reach!

You will most likely cut fruit on your very first day on the job. Some bars pride themselves on having a ton of fancy garnishes. Most bars won’t. Stick to the basics, below, and you’ll be just fine.

Common Bar Fruit For Garnish

• Lemons: Wedges, Twists, Wheels, Spirals
• Limes: Wedges, Wheels, Spirals
• Oranges: Wedges, Wheels, Spirals
• Strawberries: Whole, sometimes halved
• Pineapple: Wedges, Spears
• Celery: Stalks, sometimes hearts with tops only

Not So Common Bar Fruit Garnishes

• Grapefruit
• Melon
• Passion Fruit
• Apples
• Coconut (Fresh)
• Chocolate
• Mint
• Berries
• Dried Fruit
• Cucumber
• Leaves (Mint and other stuff)

That’s it – not a lot of information here on cutting fruit. If you want, pick up some fresh fruit at your local market, have a party with your friend’s over – and get to it.