I stumbled on the best way to cut a cantaloupe while distracted talking on the phone. I later showed a friend who has been cutting cantaloupe many more years than me, and she was amazed!
How you begin
First, wash and scrub your cantaloupe really well. They grow sitting in the dirt for goodness sakes! Then grab your chef knife and cut it in half lengthwise.
Here’s where we break from tradition
Remember when I said I was distracted on the phone when I found this method? At this point, I turned one half upside down and started cutting. When I saw what I’d done, I thought, “Awww, man, I shoulda scraped those seeds out first.” Oh well…too late. What else could I do but just go on from there? I couldn’t believe it when the seeds and their webbing fell right off the first slice I picked up!
You try it! Turn one piece over onto the cut side. Cut it in half, then each half into 2 or 3 slices depending on the size of your melon. Now when you pick up a slice, the seed part may just fall off! If not, you can easily slice it off or sometimes even turn your knife over and use the dull side to scrape off the seeds. That’s it! So much easier than scooping the seed out. A lot will simply happen by itself as you cut the slices.
Finish like normal
Then you can serve the slices as they are or use a smaller knife to cut the rind away. Leave in slices or cut into chunks. Make sure you refrigerate leftovers…IF you have any!
I guarantee your grandmother will look at you funny if she sees you do it, but then she’ll agree this is the BEST way to cut a cantaloupe!
