Whether you’re making tasty fruit salads or delicious slushies, or even eating this wonderful treat on its own, watermelons are a sweet and juicy fruit that’s ideal refreshment for hot summer days. However, figuring out how to perfectly cut a large watermelon with a thick and hard rind can often be a puzzling process. So, to help you save your fingers while preparing your sweet summer treat, here are some quick and simple ways you can cut a watermelon:
Table of Contents
Preparing the watermelon
Regardless of how you wish to cut your watermelon, you should always start the process with these important steps:
- Rinsing the watermelon thoroughly – Since anything from residual dirt to bacteria might be left on the watermelon skin, it’s always advised to wash it thoroughly before serving.
- Slicing off the ends – Using a sharp chef’s knife or a large serrated knife, slice both ends of watermelon off, on a clean and dry cutting board.
- Halving the watermelon – Stand the watermelon on the one cut-off end, and slice it all the way through, lengthwise. This is the first step to cutting everything from triangles to cubes.
Note: Only cut the watermelon right before prepping or serving, as it keeps better in the fridge uncut.
Cutting watermelon into triangles
- After the watermelon is halved, place one half on a cutting board rind-side up.
- Cut the half down the middle, from one cut end to another, in order to make quarters.
- Cut the quartered watermelon into approx. 1-inch slices, in order to make triangles.
- Serve and enjoy!
Making watermelon batons
- Place one half of the watermelon on a cutting board, rind-side up.
- Make vertical cuts along the length of the watermelon, approx. 1 inch in width.
- Now, turn the watermelon around, and make cuts along the width of the watermelon at the same intervals (approx. 1 inch) in order to make a grid.
- Separate the watermelon into batons, and serve.
Peeling a watermelon
- Slice both ends of the watermelon off, and cut it in half, this time crosswise.
- Stand the watermelon on a cutting board, on the one cut-off end.
- Cut the skin of the watermelon in downwards motions, following the natural shape, to remove parts of the rind.
- Rotate the watermelon around, and keep peeling, until all the rind is gone.
- Go back and cut away any remaining white parts you might have missed.
Cutting watermelon into cubes
- Start with a peeled watermelon.
- Cut the watermelon at inch-wide intervals, in order to make slabs.
- Stack up a couple of slabs, and then slice them vertically at same intervals, before repeating the process horizontally, in order to make cube-shaped pieces.
- Transfer the cubes to a bowl, and repeat the process with the remaining pieces.
- Serve and enjoy!
Although there a number of different ways to cut this delicious summer treat, these methods are some of the most popular serving options, which are incredibly easy to do with this simple guide.
