The Worst Way To Cut Watermelon Just Creates More Work When You're Eating It

A watermelon is one of the heftiest foods you'll find yourself cutting in the kitchen, and how one goes about it makes a huge impact on the eating experience. The first cut is always the most daunting to make on a watermelon, what with its large size, round shape that refuses to stay put on a flat surface, and thick waxy skin that threatens to make the knife slip right off. Start cutting a watermelon the wrong way, and it can sometimes be difficult to change strategies halfway through, resulting in awkwardly shaped pieces that don't display well and aren't the easiest to eat. The fact that there are so many ways to section a watermelon is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it makes the fruit versatile to serve in a variety of formats — cubed in a salad, hand-held sticks, rounds, and even made into fun shapes using a melon baller or a cookie cutter. However, there is one shape that absolutely does the watermelon no favors, and unfortunately, it's what most people new to handling the fruit tend to do first — the wedge.

The half-moon wedge is the most popular way of visually representing watermelon. It's how you see it everywhere, from films and paintings to even emojis of the fruit, which is why one may be tempted to cut it like that. However, steer clear of the big half-moon wedge unless you want to have a tough time eating it and be left with a mess to clean up afterwards. Sure, the rind makes it easy to hold and eat, but most people will have to use both hands to eat a large watermelon wedge, so the convenience factor gets washed away, too.

Let's face it, a wide wedge is not the ideal food shape to be putting into one's mouth, and the watermelon's juiciness makes eating it like that all the messier. If you've ever bitten into a watermelon wedge, you've probably had to do damage control with all the juice that comes gushing out. It may be fun at the beach or by the pool — someplace where being a little messy is fine — but it's definitely not conducive to indoor eating. Additionally, as you get closer to the rind and the wedge's sides, it gets increasingly difficult to get at the fleshy parts without either getting poked by the tough rind or getting juice around your mouth. Another issue with wedges is that they're not the best way to store watermelon. Since there is so much exposed flesh, the fruit degrades faster, and it's not as easy to store in an airtight box as, say, watermelon cubes.

The simplest way to avoid the pitfalls of the watermelon wedge is to make it smaller. Half-moon wedges are the worst because of how wide they are; divide them into triangular quarter wedges, and they get easier to eat. Split them once more in half, and they almost become like watermelon fingers, which is one of the easiest ways to eat the luscious fruit. You can also make watermelon wedges relatively mess-free by cutting them thinner. A wedge that's about an inch or less in thickness makes for neater bites. However, be careful not to cut the wedges so thin that they start falling apart.

The first thing to remember when sectioning a watermelon is to use a knife that's regularly sharpened. A blunt knife can easily slip on the thick, waxy skin and potentially cause injuries. Consider using a serrated knife for the first few cuts to pierce the skin. Additionally, it's good to give the watermelon a flat side by cutting out a section of the rind, especially if you're trying to cut it lengthwise. In most cases, have the watermelon on its side, and pick a smaller one to start with since they're easier to handle.

One of the easiest ways to handle the fruit is to cut a watermelon into sticks. In addition to quickly giving you a flat side to rest the watermelon on, which simplifies cutting it, sticks combine the best of both worlds when it comes to eating as well. You can use the rind to pick up the sticks, and since they're narrower than the wedge, they're much neater to eat. Plus, if you have leftovers, you can easily section the sticks into cubes and use the leftover watermelon to make a salad, skewers, smoothie, or just eat as is, preferably with a sprinkling of tangy, spicy Tajín seasoning.