The thicker the slices, the longer they will take to cook. Thicker pieces might be best for longer-cooking dishes like stews, while you might go thinner if you’re simply sauteeing your zucchini. For a cleaner cut, use a rocking motion with the handle end of the knife, keeping the tip pointing down.

Half-slices are great if you want bite-sized chunks, or pieces that will cook faster.

When you cut the strips that were on the edge of the zucchini, place the flat side down and the rounded side up for the easiest cut.

Depending on how long your knife is, you might be able to cut through 4-6 strips at once. The more zucchini strips you can chop at once, the less time it’ll take.

You can discard this first small piece–it’s just meant to set up the julienne cuts.

The Julienne cut is great if you want to add a fancy but simple touch to a salad or side dish.

The seeds and water in the middle of the zucchini won’t grate well, so it’s best to remove them beforehand. This is especially important if your zucchini weighs 1 pound (0. 45 kg) or more, as the middle of larger zucchinis tends to be quite bitter.

If you have a food processor, you can use the grating blade to slice up your zucchini as well.

If you want to save your zucchini juice, set your colander inside a large bowl. You can use the juice as a quick, healthy addition in soups or for cooking rice. [17] X Research source

Use 1 teaspoon (4. 9 mL) of salt per 1 pound (0. 45 kg) of zucchini. Salt will help draw the water out of the zucchini even faster.