How to cut a watermelon with no mess!

Watermelon is a fun and healthy summer food that both kids and parents can enjoy together. Cut into small cubes it becomes a simple refreshing snack or dessert.

But -

Cutting watermelon is a hassle!

Cutting a whole melon takes time, sticky juice puddles on the counter and the floor, and you need to have a place to pile the empty rinds as you cut the fruit. Watermelons, bought with the best of intentions, can be left sitting on the counter for weeks while easier to nibble fruits get all the love.

Starting now you will have the easiest way to cut a watermelon!

Tutorial: How to cut a watermelon with no mess!

Use a sturdy chef's knife to cut the watermelon (with seeds or seedless) in half across the middle. (Work 1 half at a time.) Place one half face down on a large cutting board like a little green dome.

2. With the same knife start at the bottom on one side and slice toward the center of the melon but stop before the halfway point. Move up about 1 ½ inches and make another cut the same way. Continue up toward the stem end spacing the cuts 1-½ inches apart. Repeat the process on the other side of the melon. The slices do not need to be at exactly the same height on the melon.

Important: Make sure to offset the cuts so they do not meet in the center, you will have rings of melon sliding around on each other.

3. Turn the melon over so you can see the fruit. Using a sharp knife with a long thin blade (like this 10 inch slicer), cut around the red part of the melon in a circle following the curve of the rind.

Tip: Angle the knife so it cuts down the inside of the rind but do not force it or it will poke through the rind.

4. Cut across the melon to make bars 1- 1 ½ inches wide then rotate the melon and cut across the face again to make a checkerboard pattern.

5. Turn the melon over a large bowl and watch the cubes fall out!

Note: Not all the cubes will come loose the first time. Finish removing the melon by scooping the remaining cubes out of the rind with a large spoon.