When I cook, I’m always on the lookout for flavor and texture possibilities, especially with tough ingredients. One of my favorite ways to do this is to score them. (“Scoring” means to partially cut them, not “scoring” means to obtain them. But that’s important, too.) This simple technique not only builds more flavor and texture possibilities, it can also enhance tough, unpleasantly chewy, or fibrous foods.

Slashing is a trick that has probably been around for as long as there have been sharp knives. Slashing is any time you purposefully cut shallow cuts into a food. The cuts don’t go all the way through, but only about halfway to three-quarters of the way down. If you’re cutting a layer of fat on meat, use the depth of the fat as a guide. For foods that aren’t as thick, fatty, or fibrous, you can keep the cut about a half-inch deep. Use a sharp knife to make long, even cuts across the surface. To make a crosshatch pattern, turn the item 90 degrees and make even cuts across the first set at right angles.

Cutting a series of long lines into an ingredient creates more surface area, which increases the chance of crispy edges and helps food cook faster. It also creates little pockets to trap extra spices and flavors. Cutting also makes tough foods feel more tender, because it creates literal breaks in the grain or fiber of the food.

Japanese chefs use this technique when cooking squid to prevent it from contracting into a rubber band after cooking. The shallow slices, cut in parallel or crosswise patterns, break up the muscle fibers. This prevents the squid from curling up when cooked and keeps it tender. Another popular protein you may have seen with score marks is duck. Duck skin contains the most fat, and scoring it helps it cook evenly. The extra surface area makes scoring that valuable fat easier and faster, and is the secret to consistently crisp, flavorful skin. But you can score the surface of more than just squid and duck.