My niece wanted to help make strawberry shortcake. She was four. I handed her a paring knife to hull the berries and immediately thought better of it. So I went looking for a way that didn’t involve sharp objects and tiny hands.

The straw method changed everything. I now use it myself even when no children are involved. It’s faster than a knife, wastes almost no fruit, and there’s something deeply satisfying about it.

How it works

Push a drinking straw through the bottom point of the strawberry, aiming toward the green cap at the top. The straw punches straight through the core — leaves and all — and pops the hull out cleanly. One push, one berry, less than a second.

Which straw to use

A standard sized plastic or reusable straw works. Not one of those tiny coffee stirrers — they’re too narrow. Not a giant boba straw either — it’ll take too much fruit with it. A regular drinking straw is the sweet spot.

If you’re using reusable metal or glass straws, those work beautifully. The slightly sharper edge on a metal straw actually makes it even easier.

The technique

Hold the strawberry with the green top facing up. Insert the straw into the bottom tip — the pointy end opposite the leaves. Push straight up. The straw cores out the white center and pushes the leafy cap right off the top.

What comes out is a neat little plug of stem and white core. What stays behind is a perfectly hulled strawberry, ready to slice or serve whole.

The first couple you do might feel awkward. By berry number five you’ll be flying through a pint in under a minute.

Does this waste fruit?

Less than a knife does. The white core at the center of a strawberry is mostly flavorless anyway — that’s why we hull them in the first place. You’re removing exactly what you’d cut out with a knife, just faster and without the risk of nicking your finger.

Save the hulled cores for smoothies if you’re worried about waste. They still have strawberry flavor even if the texture is bland.

When this doesn’t work

Super ripe, almost-mushy strawberries can tear instead of punching cleanly. For those, go ahead and use a knife. But for the 95% of strawberries that are firm enough to slice, the straw is unbeatable.

My niece is eight now and still insists on being the designated strawberry huller whenever shortcake is on the menu. The straw method has outlasted her toddler years.