Don’t let the sheer size of a watermelon be daunting to you! Just a few easy steps here in “how to cut a watermelon in chunks”. Our son-in-law taught me this approach in conquering the big green monstrously wonderful summer fruit.
Soon, you will be piling your plate of ribs, slaw, beans, potato salad with a big side of juicy, sweet, cool watermelon chunks.
How do you eat an elephant?
As the saying goes, “one bite at a time”! But in this case, you begin with big pieces and continually make them smaller till they are bite size.
You want get out a big sharp knife and a large cutting board, preferably one with little gutters around it to catch the juice. The one pictured below is made bamboo. and I use it literally all the time–it is one of three, reasonably priced, that I bought about a year ago and they are holding up great.
If your watermelon is an oblong one, lay it on the board lengthwise and pick a halfway point. If it’s round, put the stem end to your right or left.
Okay, so now you have it placed, put the knife in right at the half way point. . .
bring it down, pull it toward you, and begin cutting. . .
Cut the whole thing in half.
It will get easier the further you get in with your cut. If your watermelon is really ripe, it might almost cut itself, dividing suddenly with a crack-like mini explosion (who says the kitchen is a boring place).
Don’t worry if the halves aren’t perfectly even.
I like to use a Santoku knife like the one in the picture. We bought this one years ago from Sam’s Club for about $12.
An alternative way to do it
Because our household is small, I usually cut only one half in two, giving me two quarters and one half. I put the one half cut side down on a plate large enough to hold it and put it in the refrigerator, just waiting to be cut. With only the skin exposed, it lasts at least a week this way in the fridge .
Now cut the remaining half, the one that you didn’t store on the plate in the fridge, in half. That makes 2 quarters.
Whether you decide to cut up just 2 quarters or all 4, choose the quarter with which you will begin.
Starting at one point on the side where the two right angled faces come together, insert your knife and slide it down close to the rind, all the way down to the bottom and continue up the half circle. The one pictured above is half way through its trip.
Remove the knife, turn the melon so you can insert your knife between the skin and melon where you haven’t yet cut. Think of it as cutting all the meat away from the skin on the outside border between rind and flesh. Your knife probably won’t be long enough to do this completely, but just do as well as you can. A little paring knife will come to the rescue with the parts that aren’t fully cut.
Now chose one of the cut sides and begin to make long parallel cuts lengthwise into the flesh about an inch or inch and a half thick. After that, use either the paring knife or the Santoku do the same thing to the other cut side.
Then with a paring knife, make cuts crosswise. You will see in the picture how you are beginning to see chunks.
Harvesting the chunks!
Feel a chunk gently with your fingers and wiggle until it comes loose. (If you are me, pop it in your mouth for a cook’s treat!)
Gently dislodge the chunks that come easily and put them in a bowl that has an airtight lid.
Continue to work your way into the flesh. Dislodge and cut the chunks into squares with the paring knife when you run into flesh that the knives have not yet severed. Continue until all the meat is in chunks except for a layer near the rind. I usually discard that with the rind because it is not as flavorful, but taste it and see. You can cut the thin pieces of it away from the rind if you like.
Now, you have a generous bowl filled with fresh, crisp, sweet, juicy watermelon pieces! What a welcome treat on a summer day to have this waiting in the frigdge! Add it to the buffet for your next barbecue. This would be so good as a meal component to take to someone too.
Much fresher than store bought. Remember, you tapped and knocked and picked that melon with its sun spot. It was the best one in the store 🙂
And another thing–this is budget friendly! After less than a half hour’s work, look at what you would have paid if you had someone do it for you.
You have ticked off a lot of the boxes for being a caring, thrifty, Proverbs 31 homesteader. You have loved your family well with this treat: healthy simple food that is better quality and cheaper than store made.
Why not celebrate by getting out the pretty bowls? Gather the family and dish up a serving of chilled watermelon chunks!
Want to learn more about Biblical Womanhood? Check out Resources !!!
Leave a Reply