By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Home Cook Basics.
A whole watermelon is a slippery, awkward thing to cut. It rolls. The rind is thick. One wrong slice and you're chasing it across the counter.
Bob from Home Cook Basics has a simple trick that makes it manageable: cut a small flat spot on one side first. The watermelon stops rolling, and every cut after that gets easier. From there you've got two options - wedges for eating right off the rind, or rind-free cubes for fruit salad.
You'll need a sharp chef's knife or serrated bread knife, a stable cutting board, and about 10 minutes start to finish.
Stand the watermelon up on one of its rounded ends. With your knife, slice off a thin sliver from one side of the watermelon to create a small flat spot.
You don't need much - just enough that when you lay the watermelon down on the flat side, it doesn't roll. This single move makes every other cut safer.
Tip
If the watermelon already has a slightly flat side from sitting in the bin, use that. No need to make extra work.
Lay the watermelon on its new flat side. Cut off both pointed ends, taking off about half an inch from each.
This gives you flat surfaces at top and bottom and removes the part where there's barely any flesh anyway. Don't bother trying to scoop out the tips - it's not worth the effort.
Stand the watermelon on one of the flat ends. Run your knife straight down through the middle to split it into two halves.
If the rind is fighting you, switch to a serrated bread knife - the saw motion gets through the skin without needing to muscle your chef's knife.
Tip
Going through a watermelon is wrist work. Keep your guide hand on top of the knife (not on the watermelon) and let gravity do half the cutting.
Lay one half flat-side down. Slice across into 1-inch thick wedges - you should end up with 6-8 wedges per half depending on size.
If the watermelon is huge, cut each half into quarters first. That gives you smaller wedges that aren't unwieldy to eat.
Take the other half, lay it cut-side down on the board. Following the curve of the watermelon, run your knife from top to bottom along the edge to slice the rind off in strips.
Work all the way around. Get any white pith too - it's bitter and ruins the texture. You'll end up with a dome of pure red flesh.
Tip
A boning knife or paring knife gives you more control on the curves than a chef's knife. Use whichever feels easier.
Cut the rind-free flesh into 1-inch thick slabs by slicing all the way through. Stack 2-3 slabs on top of each other and slice into 1-inch strips.
Rotate the strips 90 degrees and cross-cut into cubes. Adjust thickness if you want bigger or smaller pieces - 1-inch is standard for fruit salad, 1/2-inch is better for skewers.
Tip
Skip the rind-removal headache by doing it for the half you actually want as cubes - the wedges keep their rind for handling.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links on this page may be affiliate links - clicking them and buying doesn't change your price, but helps support ShowMeStepByStep.
