When you see cantaloupe or other summer melons on sale, you want to snatch them up and enjoy them. But, how do you cut it? Knowing how to cut a cantaloupe or other melon is an important knife skill to learn.
Follow this simple tutorial for cutting cantaloupe into slices, wedges, or cubes so that you can easily prepare a fancy fruit tray or fruit salad whenever you like. This is a great way to serve melon for Breakfast in Bed.
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You see a great deal on cantaloupe and watermelon. You want to take advantage of it, but what in the world do you do with it when you get home.
Sure, you can buy those plastic packs of pre-cut fruit, but let’s be real. Rarely does that fruit taste ripe and delicious. And it’s so expensive…
Here in front of you is a fragrant melon just begging to be carted home. Don’t fear the melon.
Learn to cut it yourself.
Why do this
It’s good for you. Knowing how to cut melon, whether it’s a cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon, is a valuable skill to help you make the most of in-season produce and to facilitate a healthy diet. Melon is full of fiber and vitamins and can be a great way to hydrate, but it won’t do you any good if the fruit sits on the counter uneaten.
It’s easy. Seriously, you can do this in five minutes.
It’s tastier and cheaper! If your alternatives are buying boxed, cut cantaloupe or going without, those aren’t real alternatives. Learn to cut melon yourself to save money and enjoy better quality fruit.
How to choose a good cantaloupe:
Select cantaloupe or muskmelons that are heavy for their size, smell fruity, and have a thick, raised netting-like exterior.
A good melon should give slightly to pressure on the blossom end. The stem end should be smooth; if it’s jagged, that means it wasn’t ripe when harvested.
Do not buy cantaloupe that smell strongly or that have soft spots.
How to cut a melon:
1. Rinse the melon with water and vinegar.
Even though you aren’t going to eat the rind, you are going to cut through it, thereby possibly exposing the inner flesh to bacteria and other germs. I like to use white vinegar, a cheap, food-safe cleaning agent, to kill surface bacteria.
I also like to cut a melon on a cutting board inside a rimmed baking sheet. In this way, the juices are collected in the tray and don’t stray all over the counter. This makes clean-up quick and easy.
2. Cut off the two ends and stand the melon on one end.
You want the melon to be stationary while you’re cutting, no wobbling about.
3. Remove the outer rind.
With a chef’s knife, cut away the rind, curving your cuts between the rind and flesh along the rounded shape of the melon.
Proceed around the sides of the melon until all the rind is removed. Don’t worry if the melon is no longer perfectly round. You won’t notice it later.
Sometimes little green bits of rind escape your larger cuts. Go around the melon, turning it upside down if needed, to slice off these green sections.
4. Slice the melon through the center lengthwise.
Once you’ve got all the rind removed, cut through the center lengthwise, from flat end to flat end.
5. Gently scoop out the seeds and inner membranes.
No one I know eats melon seeds and its pulpy inner membranes, so remove this with a spoon. This is where the rimmed tray again comes in handy, to contain all the juicy stuff you’ll be discarding.
Clean out the inner well smoothly, removing any stray seeds. Now, you’re ready to cut the cantaloupe into slices, wedges, or cubes.
To cut the cantaloupe into slices:
Place each half, cut-side down on the cutting board and slice into thin, even slices crosswise. You can fan these slices out on a platter with other fruit if you prefer.
To cut the cantaloupe into wedges:
Cutting from flat end to flat end, you can cut the cantaloupe into quarters and then eighths or twelfths-size wedges. These are great to serve as a side dish with breakfast or as a snack.
To cut the cantaloupe into cubes:
Once you have the melon cut into wedges, you can cut cantaloupe cubes. These are great for fruit salads or easy snacking with a fork.
Variations
You can cut other melons this way, such as the honeydew or watermelon.
In the case of the watermelon, there won’t be any insides to scoop out. Just trim off the rind and cut the melon flesh into slices or cubes.
Cutting a pineapple is also pretty similar.
Storage instructions
How to store an uncut melon: Store the cantaloupe at room temperature until ripe. Once it is ripe, store it in the refrigerator. It may absorb odors from other foods in the fridge, so wrap in plastic or a large ziptop bag if not using soon.
To freeze melon: There are loads of ways to freeze vegetables and fruits. You can use frozen cantaloupe in smoothies or slushies. To freeze it, store it in portion-size containers in the freezer, for up to six months. Do not thaw, but add to blender frozen.
FAQs
Technically, a cantaloupe is a European melon not available for export to the US. The orange-fleshed melon we think of as cantaloupe in the States is actually a muskmelon. There are actually quite a few melons available.
Frozen melon is good for using in smoothies and slushies. Thawed, it will have a much softer texture so you may not enjoy it as much eating plain.
Cantaloupe and other melons ripen at room temperature. Only place them in the refrigerator once they’ve ripened, and even then for just a day or two, as they will absorb the odors of the foods around them.
Other knife skills to learn
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How to Cut a Cantaloupe
Equipment
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- heavy duty sheet pan
- spray bottle
- large airtight container
Instructions
- Rinse the melon with water and vinegar to kill any surface bacteria. Place the melon on a cutting board set inside a rimmed baking sheet. This allows you to capture the juices instead of them spilling all over the counter top.
- Cut off the two ends and stand the melon on one end.
- With a chef's knife, cut away the rind, curving your cuts between the rind and flesh along the rounded shape of the melon.
- Slice the melon through the center lengthwise.
- Gently scoop out the seeds and inner membranes with a spoon and discard.
- Depending on how you want to serve it, cut the melon into wedges, slices, or cubes.
- Serve immediately or store the melon in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on August 9, 2018. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Alice E
I have cut melons like this and it is very efficient and easy. Saw it once on TV. I also have been known to wash well a honeydew or canary melon ( they are similar) and cut it in half. scoop out the seeds Then put it cut side down on the cutting board and slice it thinly, then cut the slices in half down the middle and scoot it off onto a platter. You wind up with thin quarter slices that can be held by the rind and eaten as finger food by kids picnicking outside like at the park. It was very well received at the reunion.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks, Alice.
Misty
Great tip for all! I would also like to add you should add some Tajin (Mexican spice) to those melons for extra punch. WARNING: Highly addictive!
Jessica Fisher
I’ve heard of doing that, but never tried it. Thanks for the nudge.
Shari
This is so enabling! Thank you.
Jessica Fisher
Glad it’s helpful!
Kathleen
YES! This is how I cut all melon, including watermelon. I have gotten many strange looks and comments on how I do it, but for me, this is MUCH faster and less waste at the table.
Jessica Fisher
Strange looks? This is what makes sense! 😉
Janet
My challenge is squash. As I have gotten older, even with a sharp knife I just cannot cut through the rind. Unlike some squashes, my favorite spaghetti squash is not sold already cut in half in any of my area grocery stores.
Jenny
You could probably bake it, that would cook it and the rind would peel right off. 🙂 I love the butternut squash.
Kathleen
Janet, I injured my shoulder so badly (healed now) that I couldn’t cut spaghetti squash either. My first solution was one of the several teen boys in our home cutting it for me. Since that may not apply to you, I suggest my second solution, which is to wash it, then roast it. Whole. Uncut/unpoked. About 60-90 minutes in the oven at 350, until a fork easily pierces the rind. Allow to cool enough to handle and you can use a table knife to cut in half. Scoop out the seeds just like you normally would, then the yummy flesh. We often roast an oven full at a time and freeze in bags for eating later.
Janet
Thanks Kathleen! It never occurred to me to try and roast it whole. I will be trying this out for sure. It is one of the few vegetables my husband and kids will happily eat as long as you put a good marinara sauce over it.
Jessica Fisher
I microwave it for a few minutes and it slices like butter. Directions here: https://goodcheapeats.com/2015/08/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/
Beth D
Hi Janet,
I also LOVE squash! I poke several holes around the outside of the squash with a fork, then I place it in the microwave for 4-5 mins on high. Be careful taking it out of the microwave… IT’S HOT! Then I peel the skin with a peeler and cut it up the way I want it that day! This is SO much easier!
I hope this helps!
Beth
Regina Ulmer
Thank you so much for this! I don’t know why I’ve never seen anyone do it this way before; it makes total sense. I’ve always been afraid to use that great big knife on a wobbly melon. This totally eliminates that problem! So makes me want to stop by one of those roadside watermelon stands now 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Yes! You can do this!