Alton Brown's Trick For Removing Watermelon Rinds The Easy Way
Correction 6/7/22: A previous version of this article stated watermelon should not be refrigerated, this is only true for uncut melons.
Many know Alton Brown from his role as host of the popular Food Network show "Good Eats," which deftly combines the science behind cooking with Brown's signature goofy humor. Though no longer airing new episodes (Brown announced the official end of the program July 2021 on Twitter), the star also decimates a lot of useful cooking hacks and tips to the public online via social media. One of the most ingenious tips he has on offer is how to easily remove watermelon rinds in such a seamless way it will leave your guests impressed and wondering just how you did it.
Sweet, refreshing, and offering a slew of health benefits like the ability to reduce inflammation and potentially improve heart health, per Healthline, watermelon is an easy choice when searching for a snack. Buying already sliced and diced watermelon may be tempting, but MyRecipes explains that cutting watermelon reduces its shelf life to about three to five days; If you purchase one whole, the Watermelon Board states it can be kept at room temperature for three to four weeks! With Brown's trick for removing watermelon rinds, you'll find the choice between pre-cut and whole melons becomes much simpler.
A big knife and a wire cheese cutter is all you need to de-rind a watermelon
To easily remove the rinds of your watermelon without endless chopping that results in an octagonal shape, Alton Brown says all you need is a really big knife and a wire cheese cutter with the inner wheel removed (via YouTube). First, take your watermelon and cut it into 2-inch thick rounds. Then, take your knife and make a small cut the length of the rind and set the knife aside. Take your watermelon round and insert your wire cheese cutter to where the rind ends and carefully glide it around the watermelon until a perfect circle of rind falls seamlessly away. Repeat for the rest of the watermelon until you have nothing but watermelon sugar to consume, with no rinds to deal with.
The only thing left to do with your watermelon now is to enjoy it! But don't throw away those rinds just yet — we'd be amiss if we didn't remind you how amazing pickled watermelon rinds are.