Watermelon is a delicious summer staple that’s a perfect addition to fruit salads. It’s also a good addition to smoothies and desserts.
Cutting up a watermelon isn’t as difficult or messy as many people think. With a few simple knife cutting techniques, you can easily make sticks, cubes, spheres and more from this sweet red fruit!
Cut it in half
There are many ways to cut up a watermelon, but the most efficient way is to slice it in half. Doing so will help you to cut the rind off, and you’ll be left with juicy, sweet flesh for your next meal or snack.
Start by washing and drying the melon. This will help to ensure you don’t contaminate the insides of the fruit with any watermelon seeds that may be present.
Then, using a sharp knife, carefully slice the watermelon crosswise so you have two circular pieces of the melon (if you were to cut it lengthwise, you would end up with an oval).
After slicing it, stand one half of the melon on its broad, flat side. Holding the knife at an angle, shave off the green skin and white rind to reveal the pink flesh insides of the melon.
Next, stack two or three slices of the melon and cut across them to create cubes. These make a lovely addition to classic fruit salads or a refreshing watermelon juice or smoothie.
Cut it into cubes
Whether you’re eating it right out of the bowl or using it as an ingredient in a refreshing salad, a ripe, juicy watermelon is a summertime must-have. But it can be hard to cut up, especially if you don’t have the proper tools.
Thankfully, a few simple tricks can make it easier than ever to get a watermelon ready for snacking or as an addition to your next salad or fruit platter. First, if you’re working with a wooden cutting board, be sure to use a slightly damp clean tea towel spread across your work surface (or even a plastic one) to keep your board from getting too slippery, says Gorline.
Then, position a sharp knife where the red flesh meets the white part of the watermelon rind and remove the rind following the contour of the fruit. Repeat until you’ve removed all the rind and left just a strip of red watermelon meat remaining.
Cut it into sticks
A slice of ripe, sweet watermelon is always refreshing on hot summer days. You can cut it up into sticks for a snack, serve them in fruit salads, or use the extra cubes to make popsicles and homemade fruit juices.
To cut up a watermelon, you’ll need a cutting board and a sharp chef’s knife. To ensure that you don’t slip while slicing, invest in a no-slip cutting board like this one.
Start by halving the watermelon lengthwise. Lay it flat on your cutting board and make thick 1-inch slices across the melon (as shown in the video above). Rotate and cut again, creating several slabs of watermelon.
To turn these into sticks, you’ll need to slice the slices in half again. Once you’ve done this, the watermelon will be thin enough to eat.
Cut it into wedges
Watermelon is one of the most popular fruits for a summer picnic. It’s sweet, juicy and refreshing. However, this fruit can be a challenge to cut up.
To cut a watermelon into wedges, first slice it in half widthwise. Then, slice each half again into four equal sections.
Next, lay each section on a flat cutting board (with the rind side facing you) and make cuts about 1/2-inch to 1-inch apart for watermelon wedges.
If you prefer, you can also make cuts from the flesh to the rind.
Once you’ve made your cuts, you can either serve the watermelon straight out of the melon or slice it into cubes. Cubes are great for eating with a fork or using them in a salad. They’re also good for a snack or dessert.