Cooling and refreshing on a hot day, watermelon is lovely on its own, but also makes a good ingredient in other recipes. Our expert food team have tried out various methods for cutting up this fruit. As a result, we’ve included the three easiest, most fuss-free ways in this guide. Whether you want neat cubes for a salad or quick wedges for serving, we've got the the easiest ways to cut a watermelon with minimal mess.
Use this fruit in our watermelon recipes, including drinks, salads and more. It pairs well with salty cheeses such as halloumi and feta, and makes a good accompaniment to rich meats such as pork belly. You can even barbecue slices or turn it into a colourful watermelon ‘pizza’. Interested in the nutritional profile of this fleshy fruit? Read our guide on the health benefits of watermelon.
Looking for tips on how to cut up other fruit? Check out our expert guides on how to cut a mango, how to cut a pineapple and how to cut an avocado next.
Meet Lulu Lulu Grimes is GoodFood's Head of Brand Trust and previously served as our managing editor. Lulu spent lockdown consuming an impressive number of watermelons, making her our resident expert on how best to prepare the popular summer fruit.
Start by watching our easy-to-follow video of how to cut watermelon into triangles, cubes and sticks:
View Green Video on the source websiteLulu’s top tips for cutting a watermelon:
- The first piece of advice when cutting watermelon is not to buy an enormous one. The bigger it is, the more unwieldy it will be on your cutting board.
- Also, bear in mind that watermelons produce quite a bit of juice as you cut them, so you may want to place your cutting board inside a tray to catch any drips.
- Finally, pick a long enough knife so you can cut through the whole melon easily – a cook’s knife will do.
How to remove watermelon seeds
Many watermelons are now sold as ‘seedless’ and may have no seeds, or a few pale yellow soft seeds that can easily be flicked out with the point of a knife. If your watermelon has lots of seeds, you’ll have to remove them as you cut.
The seeds grow in seams through the flesh, and if you cut the watermelon in half and look at the cut surface, you should be able to see roughly their pattern of growth – they’ll radiate out from the centre with a circle free of seeds in the middle. There will also be some distinct patches where there are no seeds.
Cut the watermelon into thin wedges, starting from the centre, going outwards, keeping the seeds at the edge of some of the cuts so you can easily flick them out.
1. How to make watermelon triangles
You can use watermelon triangles in salads and fruit salads, and to dip into flavourings. Try our watermelon with dukkah dip for a party nibble with a difference.
1. Put the watermelon on your cutting board and cut it in half through the middle.
2. Cut each half in two to create quarters. If you have a very large watermelon, cut the quarters in half again to make thinner wedges that will be easier to cut.
3. Put one piece of watermelon on the board and move the others to one side. Using a sharp knife, make slices across the length of the melon, from one end to the other, cutting through to the white part of the rind but not all the way, unless you’re planning on picking the pieces up with your hands and eating the flesh off the rind.
4. Use a sweeping cut from one end of the watermelon quarter to the other along the white part of the rind to release the triangles from the base.
2. How to make watermelon cubes
Watermelon cubes are perfect for popping in salads for a splash of colour and flavour.
1. Put the watermelon on your cutting board and cut it in half through the middle.
2. Cut each half in two to make quarters. If you have a very large watermelon, cut the quarters in half again to make thinner wedges that will be easier to cut.
3. Put one piece of watermelon on the board and move the others to one side. Using a sharp knife, cut down into the flesh to make slices the width of the cube you want to end up with, cutting through to the white part of the rind, but not all the way through.
4. Make a sweeping cut along the base from one end of the watermelon quarter to the other to release the first row of slices, then chop into cubes. Make sure the chunks are not too long (remembering that the watermelon gets wider nearer the rind) and halve any pieces if you need to.
3. How to make watermelon sticks
Watermelon sticks are perfect for entertaining. Whether you're gathering friends for a pool party or having family over for a barbecue, this method creates chunkier portion sizes and are easier to pass around than your traditional wedges.
1. Put the watermelon on your cutting board and cut it in half through the middle. If you watermelon is oval in shape, make two cuts to halve it, leaving a thick slice in the middle – otherwise your sticks might be too long. You can use the middle slice for cutting into long thin wedges – imagine a wagon wheel as you are cutting them.
2. Put one half on the board, cut-side down, and cut it into thick slices.
3. Turn the board 90 degrees, then cut slices the other way to form sticks. Trim the rind off each piece, if you like but keeping them attached will make it much easier to eat by hand.
4. How to make watermelon balls
Looking to get creative? Wow your guests or spend a fun afternoon with your kids by making these watermelon balls.
1. Put the watermelon on your cutting board and cut it in half through the middle.
2. Using a melon baller, cut balls out of each half of the melon. Cut away any leftover bits, and trim off the rind as you go. Use the leftovers to make a smoothie or slushie.
Once cut, keep watermelons somewhere cool with a good flow of air around them, but don't let them get too cold as this may affect the texture (see more storage tips from Lulu below).
Frequently asked questions Do you wash watermelon before cutting? Yes, wash watermelons with water just before cutting and give them a gentle scrub with a stiff brush if they are a but muddy. Rinse well in clean water. Can you cut a watermelon ahead of time? You can cut watermelon ahead of time but it always tastes best as freshly cut as possible. Watermelon is quite porous so will take on other strong flavours in the fridge, if you do want to cut it ahead of time then store it in a glass, plastic or fridge-friendly metal airtight container or reusable bag. It will last several days. Another reason for not cutting watermelon too early is that it stores itself perfectly well in a cool place when uncut, in the fridge it will take up space. Cut and chill it for a couple of hours before you want to eat it. Can you freeze watermelon? Yes but the texture will change, so it’s fine if you want to blend the still frozen watermelon in a smoothie or drink. If you thaw frozen watermelon the texture will be slimy and flavour often appears slightly sweeter. Can you eat watermelon seeds? Yes you can, but bear in mind that in their whole state they will pass straight through you. If you process them a little by sprouting or cooking them (for example, roast them in the oven) then their protein and minerals will be better available to you. Don’t over do it though, they are mainly insoluble fibre and may cause digestive distress.
More helpful guides for summer
5 of our finest summer punches
Easy no-cook summer desserts
Our ultimate summer recipe collection
How to cut a pineapple
source https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-cut-watermelon
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