During the summer months when watermelon is in season, practically every grocery store has a large display of the fruit parked in the produce section. You'll see shoppers gather around it, doing things like inspecting the sizes and shapes of different watermelons, and tapping them to check for ripeness. If the idea of cutting up a whole watermelon — or even just picking one out — seems intimidating, chances are you avoid the seasonal display and just grab the precut kind in the plastic containers instead.
But while prepackaged watermelon can certainly be a convenient option, it isn't exactly the freshest, and you'll usually have to pay a bit extra for it. The truth is, learning how to cut a watermelon is actually pretty easy, even without those fancy kitchen gadgets you see online, so go ahead and grab a whole one to enjoy. Below, learn all about how to pick a watermelon and cut it using three different methods.
How to Pick Watermelon Just like many other fruits, there are visual indicators that can give you a good idea of how sweet or ripe a watermelon will taste. The main sign is its shape: look for rounder, more spherical watermelons, as they tend to taste sweeter. The oblong looking ones, on the other hand, are typically watery and bland.
When picking out a watermelon, pay attention to the shininess of the rind. The shinier the rind looks, the less ripe it is. Some watermelon rinds may also feature a field spot — a circular area on the rind that doesn't have any str.
