Introduction
Cutting a watermelon can be a daunting task, especially if you’ve never done it before. But with the right tools and a few simple steps, you can easily cut a watermelon into perfect slices. This step-by-step guide will show you how to cut a watermelon quickly and safely. With a few simple steps, you’ll be able to enjoy a delicious, juicy watermelon in no time.
How to Cut a Watermelon (Step-by-Step)
Cutting a watermelon can be a daunting task, but with the right tools and a few simple steps, you can easily cut a watermelon into perfect slices. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
You’ll need a large cutting board, a sharp knife, and a watermelon. Make sure the knife is sharp enough to easily cut through the watermelon’s thick rind.
Step 2: Cut the Watermelon in Half
Place the watermelon on the cutting board and cut it in half lengthwise. This will make it easier to cut into slices.
Step 3: Cut the Watermelon into Slices
Once the watermelon is cut in half, cut each half into slices. Make sure to cut the slices thick enough so that they don’t fall apart when you pick them up.
Step 4: Serve and Enjoy!
Once the watermelon is cut into slices, serve and enjoy! You can also cut the slices into cubes or wedges if you prefer.
Learn to reduce a watermelon correctly to make sticks, cubes, spheres, and different enjoyable shapes. With just a few straightforward knife reducing methods, you possibly can take pleasure in this candy purple ingredient in smoothies, salads, desserts, and extra!
Desk of Contents
- Step 1: Wash
- Step 2: Trim off each ends
- Possibility A: Take away the rind
- Minimize into rounds
- Minimize into shapes, sticks, or cubes
- Possibility B: Preserve the rind on
- Minimize into wedges (triangles)
- Minimize into cubes
- Minimize into sticks
- Minimize into spheres
- Choosing
- Storing
- Methods to make use of watermelon
- FAQ
- Methods to Minimize a Watermelon Recipe
Now that you’ve the proper inexperienced rectangular watermelon, it’s time to interrupt it down! This large behemoth could be a little intimidating to slice via that thick rind, however to not fear. I’ve just a few easy tricks to present you simply how straightforward it’s to chop.
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) comes from the Cucurbitacaeae household, also called pepo. This melon is prized for its candy ruby flesh hiding inside. Its peak season is in the summertime, making it the proper fruit to convey to a barbecue or picnic throughout these heat days. Watermelon is scrumptious by itself or as a part of a facet dish. Listed here are just a few key ideas for reducing one open.
Step 1: Wash
Rinse the surface with cool operating water. Filth and micro organism can linger on the floor, and also you don’t need to switch it to the flesh from the knife when reducing.
Step 2: Trim off each ends
Place the melon on a big reducing board. Make certain there’s a towel or sticky pad beneath to forestall slipping. Minimize off each ends, sufficient till you see the purple flesh. This step will present a sturdy base for reducing.
At this level you could have two choices:
- Take away the rind – makes shapes, sticks, or cubes.
- Preserve the rind on – makes handheld wedges and sticks, plus spheres.
Possibility A: Take away the rind
The watermelon rind may be very thick. It begins from the skinny green-colored outer pores and skin after which turns into white till it hits the flesh. Though the white half is edible, it doesn’t have a lot taste or sweetness. Take away this layer when making cubes, sticks, or different cut-out shapes if utilizing a cookie cutter.
Place the fruit cut-side down and seize a pointy chef’s knife. Begin from the highest of the melon and run the blade down lengthwise, following the pure curvature. Work all the best way round, trimming any of the white parts off.
Minimize into rounds
When you take away the rind, it’s straightforward to chop into the specified shapes. Flip the watermelon on its facet, then reduce into 1/2 to 1-inch broad rounds.
Minimize into shapes, sticks, or cubes
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reduce out shapes -
stack and reduce sticks or cubes
From right here, you should utilize a cookie cutter to make enjoyable shapes like hearts, stars, or fluted circles, that are nice for salads and getting youngsters to eat extra fruit.
To make sticks, stack just a few discs, then reduce the rounds into the specified widths to make lengthy items. To chop the watermelon into cubes, proceed to make perpendicular cuts into the sticks to kind square-shaped items.
Possibility B: Preserve the rind on
Minimize into wedges (triangles)
This traditional reduce retains the rind on, making it straightforward to seize and eat. After reducing off the ends, place the melon on its reduce facet. Minimize down lengthwise to create 4 quarters. Slice every quarter into 3/4 to 1-inch thick wedges.
Minimize into cubes
Minimize the melon in half lengthwise, then into quarters. Working one piece at a time, reduce horizontal and vertical slices into the flesh about 1 to 1 1/2-inch aside. Flip the melon and make perpendicular slices right down to create a crosshatch sample. Run the knife between the flesh and the rind to take away the cubes.
Minimize into sticks
This can be a enjoyable technique to make handheld sticks, particularly for youths. Place the watermelon on the reduce facet. Slice in half lengthwise, then place each halves flesh-side down. Minimize into 1 to 1 1/2-inch broad sections, then rotate to make perpendicular cuts.
Minimize into spheres
To make spherical spheres, seize a melon baller. This makes for a reasonably presentation in fruit salads or to put on skewers. Minimize the melon in half lengthwise to provide extra floor space. Simply use a melon baller to rotate and scoop out the items.
Choosing
Markets might provide watermelon year-round as a consequence of totally different rising areas. Nonetheless, the height season is from Could to September, when prime rising areas like California, Georgia, Texas, and Florida have ramped up harvesting and manufacturing. To choose a ripe melon, do a visible verify to see if it’s symmetrical and free from cuts or bruises.
That’s an excellent indication that it’s been constantly watered, with even taste all through. Search for the creamy yellow splotch on the underside, which is the facet the place its been sitting. The deeper the yellow, the extra juicy and candy the melon. Subsequent, choose it up. Being about 92% water, it ought to really feel agency, dense, and heavy. Faucet the yellow underbelly space. If it sounds hole, you then’ve acquired a keeper.
Storing
Watermelons don’t ripen a lot as soon as picked from the vine. Except you could have loads of house within the fridge, wait to buy till able to eat. You’ll be able to retailer complete uncut melon within the fridge for about 2 to three weeks. If uncovered to warmth, the flesh will turn out to be dry and extra fibrous in texture.
Wrap massive reduce parts tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for as much as 3 days. It’s also possible to wrap a layer of foil round it to forestall the fruit from absorbing flavors from different elements and preserve the flesh moist. Retailer smaller reduce items in an hermetic container for about 4 to 7 days.
Methods to make use of watermelon
- Dip the sticks in yogurt for a wholesome snack
- Make a watermelon feta salad
- Add items right into a refreshing watermelon smoothie
- Make a fruit-infused margarita
- Minimize totally different sized discs, stack, and make a wholesome layered cake
FAQ
With over a thousand varieties, the most typical sorts embody picnic (spherical to oval, largest in dimension), seedless (incorporates smaller, lighter in coloration, edible seeds), icebox (smaller, matches within the fridge), mini, yellow, or orange-fleshed. Weights fluctuate from 5 to 45 kilos or extra. The sweetness depth differs between varieties.
Relying on the variability and dimension, complete melon yields between 60 to 70% flesh. A mini can weigh between 5 to six 1/2 kilos and a big from 11 to twenty kilos—roughly 1 1/2 cups of flesh per pound [Source]. One serving dimension is about 1 cup of diced items or nearly a 1-inch wedge.
Sure, however solely when eaten frozen. Minimize into 1/2 to 1-inch items, then place in a single layer in a resealable plastic bag and retailer for 3 to six months. Add into smoothies or drinks for a thicker texture and sweeter style. Don’t thaw. The items will lose their construction and turn out to be mushy.
The longest to go away a watermelon at room temperature is about 7 to 10 days, ideally retailer between 50 to 59ºF (10 to 15ºC). Within the fridge, 2 to three weeks. Refrigerate massive sections wrapped in plastic for 3 days, small items in an hermetic container 4 to 7 days.
Minimize items can sit at room temperature for as much as 2 hours. Any longer within the temperature hazard zone of 40 to 140ºF (4.4 to 60ºC), meals spoilage organisms multiply and trigger sickness even quicker on hotter days in direct daylight.
Sure, the black seeds are edible. Nonetheless, they could be a little robust or fibrous. Seedless varieties nonetheless have them current. They’re simply skinny, beige in coloration, and simpler to chew. You’ll be able to roast them, identical to pumpkin seeds. They comprise minerals like zinc, iron, and magnesium.
Is it higher to chop watermelon chilly or heat?
Chilly! Not solely does a cold piece style higher, however there’s additionally a superb cause to refrigerate it. The cell wall polysaccharides like pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose compose about 90% of the dry weight. When chilly, the melon has a extra inflexible construction—reducing whereas chilled retains extra juice locked into the flesh.
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Rinse the watermelon underneath cool operating water, scrubbing away any filth. Dry with a clear towel.
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Place the melon on a reducing board and lay on its facet. Use a pointy chef’s knife to trim the ends off all sides. Place cut-side right down to create a sturdy base.
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OPTION A (Take away the rind): Ranging from the highest, run the knife down lengthwise, following the pure curvature of the melon. Work all the best way round, trimming any of the white parts off. As soon as the rind is eliminated, flip the watermelon on its facet, then reduce into 1/2 to 1-inch broad rounds. Shapes: A cookie-cutter can be utilized to make totally different shapes into every disc, like stars, hearts, or fluted rounds.Sticks: Stack just a few of the spherical discs and reduce into the specified widths to make lengthy strips. Cubes: With the stack of sticks nonetheless in tact, flip and make perpendicular cuts to kind square-shaped items.
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OPTION B (Rind on): Ranging from the highest, reduce the melon in half lengthwise.Wedges: Minimize into quarters or eighths if utilizing a big melon. Working from one finish to the opposite, slice sections off to make 3/4 to 1-inch thick wedges.Cubes: Minimize into quarters and make 1 to 1 1/2-inch horizontal slices throughout the size of the flesh, then vertically down on the highest. Flip the melon and make perpendicular slices right down to create a crosshatch. Run the knife between the flesh and the rind to take away the items.Sticks: Place each halves flesh-side down. Minimize into 1 to 1 1/2-inch broad sections, then rotate and make perpendicular cuts.Spheres: Use a melon baller to scoop and rotate. Trim off the scooped areas to make it simpler to make extra spheres with the flesh under.
- Serving Dimension: Based mostly on a couple of 6-pound mini watermelon, 1 cup cubes per serving.
- Storing: Uncut at room temperature for as much as 7 to 10 days or fridge for two to three weeks. Refrigerate massive sections wrapped in plastic for 3 days, small items in an hermetic container for 4 to 7 days.
- Freezing: Retailer in a single layer in a big resealable bag. Fruit may be frozen for as much as 3 to six months. Don’t defrost earlier than use, or the feel will turn out to be mushy.
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Diet Info
Methods to Minimize a Watermelon
Quantity Per Serving
Energy 150
Energy from Fats 9
% Each day Worth*
Fats 1g2%
Saturated Fats 1g5%
Polyunsaturated Fats 1g
Monounsaturated Fats 1g
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 560mg16%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 31g34%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 2845IU57%
Vitamin C 41mg50%
Calcium 35mg4%
Iron 1mg6%
* P.c Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie weight-reduction plan.
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