July 29, 2022, 9:03 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Watermelons are a delicious refreshment, especially on hot summer days. However, cutting them isn’t always easy. Often, the pieces are difficult to handle, and the snack ends up being a bit messy. But there are simple tricks to cut the melon into bite-sized pieces.
Watermelon is sweet, refreshing, and above all, juicy. Cutting and eating it can sometimes lead to a bit of a mess, with the flesh ending up everywhere but in your mouth. If the watermelon is cut “incorrectly,” it often results in small corner pieces with little flesh that are hard to eat. Another common issue when cutting is the very tough rind. However, there are tricks to make cutting a melon easier. The video above shows how to cut a watermelon ideally.
How to Cut Melon Sticks
If you want to eat the watermelon right away, the stick method is the best choice. The melon is cut into bite-sized sticks that can be snacked on directly without the flesh sticking to your face. A sharp knife and a non-slip surface like a cutting board are important. Here’s how:
- First, halve the melon across the short side.
- Place the melon half flesh-side down on a cutting board and cut into strips about two thumbs wide.
- Repeat the process in the other direction to create a checkerboard pattern. Hold the melon slightly to prevent it from falling apart.
- The melon sticks are ready–they can be easily removed by pulling them out from the rind.
Cutting Melon into Pieces
If you don’t want to eat the watermelon directly by hand but want to cut it for a salad, you don’t need to cut it into sticks first. Instead, halve the melon either lengthwise or crosswise and then cut it into quarters.
Then, halve these quarters again to create smaller pieces. This makes it easier to cut the flesh from the rind. It’s best to start at the pointed end with the knife and then pull it through to the wider side.
Related: Growing and Harvesting Melons in Your Own Garden
https://oembed/myhomebook/affiliate/a25e913469d98f5cd272df439810bfab32891e43fbfaee3be34a3446cd14754f/8e6e2b30-0677-421d-83d2-e1e4481878f8/embed
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Watermelon Slices
Watermelons are also often cut into slices. This way, you can easily hold them by the rind and nibble away. But even then, you can easily get messy, with melon sticking to your face. A small trick can help:
Cut the watermelon into large slices as usual. First, halve, then quarter, and then halve these pieces again. Now you have watermelon slices. In the next step, cut away a bit of the rind on the right and left, so you can easily bite off the ends without the rind getting in the way.
Mixing Watermelon
If you want to use the watermelon for a smoothie or punch, you only need an immersion blender, not necessarily a mixer. The melon remains as a container. To do this, cut away some of the rind so you can easily see the flesh. Then, use the immersion blender and mix until the flesh inside the melon is completely pureed. But be careful: If you’re not careful, it can end up in a mess!