If you’re anything like me, you’re a huge fan of cold, sweet, refreshing watermelons in the summertime. Unfortunately, it can be quite a hassle to eat watermelon because after choosing the right melon and taking it home, you still have to slice the watermelon and refrigerate the leftover pieces.
However, after looking at this guide on the best knife to cut watermelon, you’ll not only be equipped to slice your melons easily, but you’ll be choosing the best melons of the harvest, and your friends will devour the pounds of watermelon sticks you put out on the coffee table.
What is the best knife to cut watermelon? What knife to cut watermelon? What is a watermelon knife? This article will answer these queries and describe how to cut and choose a watermelon.
Table Of Contents:
Crisp Melon Knife
The first knife on our list, the Crisp Melon Knife, is a watermelon knife with a modern design. It’s white and green and features an ergonomic handle, a detachable plastic scoop, and the words watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe on the blade. It’s a great yet specialized blade designed for cutting melons.
- This knife was designed to cut melons, so the serrated edge will easily slice through the first layer, the rind, with only light pressure
- The scoop on the handle allows you to handle cantaloupe seeds easily
- The blade is long enough to cut cleanly across small watermelons in one go
- The serrated edge will be much harder to sharpen, so you’ll want to be careful not to dull it
back to menu ↑
Bleteleh Extra-Long Roasting Knife
This knife was not designed with watermelons in mind. Instead, it’s for bread, meats, and cheeses, among other things. However, the immense length of the blade and its sharpness and ability to be easily sharpened make it stand out compared to the more aesthetically designed options.
- The extra-long blade will cut cleanly across large watermelons in one slice
- The straight edge will be easy to sharpen and hone
- The rounded tip will stop you from poking yourself by accident
- The straight edge may struggle to cut through the rinds if it’s not sharp enough
back to menu ↑
Kuhn Rikon Melon Knife
This knife is the first of the Kuhn Rikon series to be featured on this list. Released in 2010, this crafty watermelon knife looks like a watermelon! As goofy as the design is, however, this knife means business. It is very competent in the task of cutting watermelons while also looking like it is one.
- The seed-shaped cut-outs will prevent the blade from sticking to the fruit and help pieces to slide off easily
- The serrated edge will easily slice through rinds as the blade was designed for that
- With moderate length, it may be able to half a small watermelon in one slice
- The color scheme and air holes are designed to look like a watermelon. You’ll never forget what this knife is for!
- Like the crisp knife, the serrated edge will make it harder to sharpen the blade
- The manufacturers only sharpen one side of the serrated edge, making it potentially harder to get a straight slice
- This is an old model, and it’s currently more expensive than the upgraded version
back to menu ↑
Upgraded Kuhn Rikon Melon Knife
This is the upgraded version of the previous knife. Not much to say here, except that the handle looks better, and the blade is about 0.5 inches longer. The green color has been darkened to look more like a watermelon’s true color.
- With an even longer blade, this knife can almost surely cut a small watermelon directly in half
- This melon knife can easily cut through bread as well as watermelon rinds with its jagged serrated edge
- It comes with a silicone sheath for safe storage
- It provides all the other benefits of the old model of the knife
- The serrated edge will be very difficult to sharpen
- The manufacturers only sharpen one side of the serrated edge, making it potentially harder to get a straight slice
back to menu ↑
Gainscome Stainless Steel Chef’s Knife
The final knife on our top 5 best knife to cut watermelon list, and the second that wasn’t made for watermelons. This knife is a cross between a knife and a cleaver. It appears exceedingly efficient at chopping things, but it may not be fair as well as the others on the list as its short blade stops it from halving even the smallest of melons in a single go.
- This fruit knife will chop with magnificent force
- The straight edge will make sharpening the blade to your liking very simple
- The short blade will require multiple passes to half even a smaller watermelon
back to menu ↑
How To Cut Watermelon Smoothly With A Knife
Maybe you’ve tried cutting a watermelon before, but it didn’t go very well. Perhaps the cuts weren’t smooth, or the pieces were unwieldy. It’s not just you! It happens to everyone. However, there are a couple of things you can do to help.
Step: 1 Bring The Fresh Melons
Firstly, a fresh melon will cut more smoothly than an older, mushier one. This is because the structure of the fruit is still rigid and crisp, and really fresh watermelons can even crack the rest of the way open when you’re nearly done cutting it.
Step: 2 Make Sure the Knife Is Sharp Enough
Another thing you need to make sure is that your knife is very sharp. A sharp knife can be the difference between hurting your wrist, squishing your melon, and cutting smoothly through it like a stick of butter.
Step: 3 Cut In 8 Even Wedges
Making slices would be beneficial to make your watermelon pieces easier to eat. This usually involves quartering your watermelon and cutting the quarters in half to make eight even wedges. With each wedge, sit it on the cutting board with a flat side down for safety’s sake, and cut it into even slices. Slices around half to three-quarters of an inch are appealing and easy to eat. There will be very little waste with this method, with the last piece on the ends being almost entirely rinded. Optionally to avoid this piece, cut the ends off the melon at the very beginning.
However, to do this, your blade will need to be extra sharp, and you won’t be able to cut against the counter or cutting board due to the shape of the melon.
back to menu ↑
Watermelon Knife Vs. Watermelon Cutter
Have you ever seen one of those large circular kitchen gadgets with handles on either side and blades radiating from a small circle in the center? That is a watermelon slicer or watermelon cutter. This device was invented to give consumers an option to slice their entire watermelon in one go, resulting in perfectly even slices and even cores the watermelon.
However, this device is not as effective at cutting watermelons as a good knife. You cannot eat the slices produced by these slicers without rubbing the juicy pieces of the melon against your cheeks.
What a mess! Also, why do you need to take the core of the watermelon out in the first place?
These devices don’t make a whole lot of sense. Not to mention the massive amount of either weight or upper body strength you need to actually slice the entire watermelon into 12 slices in one fell swoop.
A better method would be to use the knife, as mentioned in the previous section. This allows you to focus the blade on one cut at a time, perhaps spending another 30 seconds cutting your fruit but being much more deliberate. Not only can you vary the shapes and sizes of your pieces with a knife, but it’s also easier to clean and requires less force to cut.
A serrated knife will make it easier to remove the rind or at least cut through it. However, a straight-edged knife will be much easier to clean and sharpen, and high-quality knife sets can be very effective and durable!
back to menu ↑
Conclusion
Cutting watermelons does not take a lot of force, as long as you’re using the right knife. However, neither serrated nor straight-edged knives are considered the correct knives for the job. Instead, a long, sharp knife is all you need to get that perfect slice. Having the best watermelon knife can help decrease the chances of a kitchen accident and make slicing and carving your watermelon extremely easy.
Some people will choose a watermelon slicer for the job, but most of the time, a good knife will do a better job and offer you more versatility in the pieces of watermelon you produce. Knives aren’t as child-friendly as most watermelon slicing tools, but they are more efficient for an adult. An excellent watermelon knife will help you cut many other things, such as cantaloupe, bread, cucumbers, and more!
back to menu ↑
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Use A Serrated Knife To Cut Watermelon?
Using a serrated knife or a straight-edge knife to cut watermelon is fine! As it turns out, the crisp yet soft texture of the watermelon makes it easy for any sharp knife to cut through. However, even though it’s so easy to cut, we don’t recommend trying to cut one with a butter knife. Wait, you don’t know the difference between a butter knife and a dinner knife?
back to menu ↑
How Do You Cut A Watermelon Like A Pro?
Generally speaking, a pro would cut a watermelon in a way it’s easy to serve. However, sometimes the presentation of the watermelon is also important. For instance, a chef might cut a couple of slices of the entire watermelon’s cross-section, then wedge the rest of the watermelon as discussed above and make ‘pizza slice’ shaped pieces, convenient for eating.
However, one thing is for sure; a pro would use a knife to cut a watermelon and not a specialized non-knife tool. A knife gives the user much more control over the overall sizes and shapes of the pieces.
back to menu ↑
Is There Such A Thing As A Watermelon Knife?
There are watermelon cutters that make wedges from an entire melon at once, slicers that can make individual cubes or pieces, and there are true watermelon knives. Some watermelon knives are featured above. However, one of them is more of a melon knife as it’s designed for watermelons, honeydew melons, and cantaloupe.
If you’re not into the idea of buying one knife at a time, consider a knife set under $500, complete with either a magnetic strip or knife block. Or, even cheaper, a knife set from amazon basics!
back to menu ↑
How Long Can I Keep Cut Watermelon In The Fridge?
Suppose you’ve ever cut a watermelon in half and left one half in the fridge for a few days. In that case, you might be wondering, “Should I even still eat that?” Well, the answer is that it should be fine to eat if the watermelon has been in an airtight container in the refrigerator for between 3 and 5 days or less and shows no signs of spoilage. It may be a bit soggy, but it’s unlikely to spoil before that. We have also created a guide where you can get more information about meal expiry.
back to menu ↑
How Does A Watermelon Knife Work?
Most watermelon knives are serrated knives that are very long. This allows the knife to easily cut through the rinds and cut significantly large pieces of melon in half in a single motion.
back to menu ↑
How Do Restaurants Cut Watermelon?
Restaurants cut watermelon the same way as how a ‘pro’ does. After all, who’s more of a pro watermelon cutter than a restaurant that has served the green melons for years? Restaurants will cut the fruit to a presentation standard while maintaining as much edibility as possible.
back to menu ↑
Should You Cut A Watermelon Cold Or Room Temperature?
It won’t make a huge difference, so if you’re trying to snap into that big juicy melon and it’s not very cold, go for it. However, cutting a watermelon while it’s cold is recommended for a few reasons. Firstly, the juice won’t tend to spill out as much as you cut the fruit. Also, it will hold its shape better as it will be harder and more rigid. Finally, who doesn’t love cold, freshly sliced, refreshing watermelon?
back to menu ↑
Should You Refrigerate Watermelon After Cutting?
One of the few situations where you should refrigerate your watermelon is if it has already been cut. After all, the cut pieces will only last for approximately 3-5 days in the fridge, so I’m sure you can imagine what five days outside the fridge might do to them.
back to menu ↑
How Can You Tell If A Watermelon Is Sweet?
By tasting it, of course! Oh? That’s not what you meant? Of course. There are a few ways to tell if a watermelon is ripe and sweet simply by examining the outside. If you look at where the melon was attached to the vine, a green stem means they picked the watermelon prematurely. If it’s brown, the melon ripened on the vine. If you see a yellow spot, if the area is a fainter white, it doesn’t have enough time to ripen in the sun.
A large, obvious yellow spot means the melon was well-ripened in the sun. A perfectly ripe watermelon will give a little give when you push on the skin.
Also, you want to knock on the watermelon; if it sounds hollow, it will be very juicy and full of water. To get the ripest and sweetest melon, look for one with a large yellow spot, a brown vine nub, a slight give to its skin, and a hollow sound when you knock on it. These melons will be the ripest, juiciest, and sweetest watermelons you can find, and upon opening one up, it will have a deep red color to its flesh.
Shanny
Shanny not only has an exceptional understanding of the foodie mindset and how nutrition works, she has also achieved her Master’s Degree in Education. Outside of her academic achievements, she loves writing food blogs. It's so much more than a list of meals though! Shanny creates helpful cookware guides and delicious recipes that are easy to follow. She does all of this as a food blog writer because she loves it. That's why she spends lots of time testing out different recipes in her own home. She truly is a one-of-a-kind foodie, from her home to yours - with a story to tell, new recipes to indulge in and new tips to tantalize those tastebuds.
