Melons are so good this time of year! Take advantage of their seasonal sweetness (and low prices) by learning how to cube and slice a melon. Your next fruit platter is going to be beautiful.
How to Cube and Slice a Melon
Summertime equals fruit time. The warmer weather makes fruit taste even sweeter and more refreshing, and you naturally feel like eating lighter (swimsuit season anyone?). The next time you’re thinking about bringing fruit to a barbecue, or just having a healthy snack on hand in the fridge, buy the whole melon instead of paying the markup for the grocery store to cut it for you.
Preparing fruit might seem obvious to some people, but ages ago when I worked as a prep cook, I went into work one morning and the chef asked me to make a fruit platter for a banquet….. And I just stared at him. I had to admit I didn’t really know how to cut up different kinds of fruit. He graciously showed me how to work with whole fruits to make them not only look nice, but to have less waste. If you’ve ever wondered how to cube and slice a melon, read on!
Get Yourself a Knife, a Spoon and a Bowl
First things first, set yourself up for success by gathering everything you need. Grab a cutting board* , a big bowl, large spoon, knife and paper towels or a kitchen towel. I like to use a serrated knife*, but a nice sharp chef’s knife will work too. Sharp being the key word – dull knives are dangerous!
Once you’re all set, take your knife and carefully cut off about a half inch from the top and bottom of the melon. Now turn the melon so it sits on one of the nice flat ends. The flat end will give you a stable base while you’re cutting off the rind (safety first!).
Next you’ll take your knife and carefully slice the rind off. Run the blade from top to bottom, trying not to remove too much of the flesh as you go, but making sure to remove the whitish pith that’s between the rind and the flesh. Pith can be bitter, and it doesn’t look great.
The hard part’s done! And it wasn’t even hard. Now, let’s cut this baby open and get rid of those seeds. With the melon still standing on it’s flat end, slice it in half. Just eyeball it! No need to break out the measuring tape. Next you’ll use the spoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp.
If you flip the melon half over so the cut side is on the cutting board, you’ll have a nice flat base for slicing (again with the safety!).
Slice and Dice
At this point you’ll have to decide what you’re doing with the melon. If you’re after cubes, you’ll want to cut about 1 inch thick slices out of your halves. Then you’ll cut cubes from those thicker slices. Boom! You are all set to start assembling some melon prosciutto basil bites (a delicious three ingredient appetizer!). Or you can just grab a fork and start eating your perfectly cut, vitamin packed, refreshing melon cubes.
If you’re going to make a beautiful fruit platter and want to keep the melon in slices, then you’ll cut 1/4 inch thick slices that you can fan out on your serving dish.
That’s it! Now get out there and cut up some fruit!
Oh, and here’s a picture of those melon prosciutto basil bites, just in case you’re interested…..
Feel Like Eating More Fruit?
Here are a few more handy how to’s:
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