I’ve been on this crazy melon-eating kick this year, like I’m just inhaling it, buying melon every couple of days as if I’m feeding a family of five. But nope, it’s just me, shoving it madly into my face as I stand over the sink, juice dripping down to my elbows. Mostly I’ve been eating watermelon but cantaloupe has been keeping a respectable second place. The thing about cantaloupe, though, is it’s a little more annoying (to me) to cut–usually I slice it into thin wedges then shave off the thin rind, which is always a little tedious and makes me feel like I could cut off a finger at any moment.
This morning I read a tiny piece in the new Bon Appetit (July 2012, page 118) about how to peel and cut a cantaloupe, and it looked so easy I had to give it a try. What do you know, it was easy, way easier than my old method–it took just a few minutes to break down an entire cantaloupe, and as a bonus, I felt really cheffy while doing it. This will definitely be my new go-to method. Here’s what you do:
1. Wash the melon. All kinds of chemicals and bacteria could be all over that rind, and they can get transferred to the fruit when you cut it.
2. Trim off the two stem ends of the melon so that it will stand up without rolling.
3. Stand the melon on one of the flat ends and slice away the rind in thin strips, working all the way around.
4. Behold your perfectly naked, baby-head-like peeled melon!
5. Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds, and chop or slice however you like.
Happy summer melon eating!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
my favorite way to cut a melon, esp. after cutting my hand using other, not so smart methods ;)
Baby-head-like, yes! It’s going to hit 100° tomorrow – so you know I’ll be donning a full torso bib (crummy old T-shirt), parking my butt in the anti-gravity chair outside on the back porch, and mowing through a bowl of watermelon slices with gusto – yeah, you bet! With watermelon dining there’s an inverse ratio between daintiness and tastiness. Doggy likes it too!
I tried your method of cutting a cantaloupe and it worked fabulously!
Like you I eat tons of melon right now.
thank you for posting this. brilliant! I’ve always done slices before, this is so much easier to eat!
stay cool brett!
Very helpful! What a nice alternative to my go-to half a melon and a spoon!
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