Here’s the best, mess-free way to cut a watermelon! Cutting watermelon into sticks is easier and more practical than making slices or triangles, without forgetting that it is easier to eat watermelon that way! After this method, you will have fresh watermelon sticks that can be served for any meal, snack, or potluck or ready to cut into cubes for your salads. Enjoy!
Ingredients list for watermelon sticks
How to Cut Watermelon into Sticks
Tired of trying to make straight watermelon slices and having kids rubbing their sticky cheeks everywhere after their afternoon snack? Watermelon sticks are the way to go this Summer!
Directions
How to cut watermelon sticks:
1. Rinse and pat the watermelon dry to remove any remaining dirt from the outside.
2. Using a large, sharp knife, a cutting board, and a firm grip, slice the watermelon in half width-wise. Place one watermelon half-cut side down the cutting board, then set the other half aside.
3. Grab the watermelon firmly and make 1-inch slices.
4. Rotate the cutting board 90º, grab the watermelon slices so they are firmly maintained in place, and make 1″ slices in the other direction to create a grid pattern.
5. You can discard the smaller edges; it’s mostly rind.
6. Transfer the watermelon sticks to a serving platter and repeat the process with the other half. Enjoy!
How to tell if a watermelon is ripe
Once they are detached from their vine, watermelons won’t continue to ripen. Their sugar content will not increase, and their flavor will not improve. So you better be able to tell if a watermelon is ripe when you’re shopping at the grocery store! While some people rely successfully on the “tap test” – we usually mess this up 2/3 of the time–, here are a couple of tips for the rest of us for choosing a perfectly ripe watermelon:
- The ground spot (the surface on which the watermelon lays on the ground) should be yellow, not white.
- The green color should be slightly dull and darker.
- On striped melons, the color between the stripes gets darker.
- The rind should be pretty hard.
How to keep watermelon
A whole watermelon will last at room temperature for a few weeks. Once cut, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days. To avoid spilled juice in your refrigerator, keep the watermelon sticks in an airtight container!
More watermelon recipes you might like
- 14 Cool and Refreshing Watermelon Recipe Ideas
- 2-Ingredient Honey Watermelon Sorbet
- Watermelon Fries with Cream Cheese Marshmallow Dip
- 3-Ingredients Watermelon Granita
- Cilantro Lime Watermelon Feta Salad
