The Best Watermelon Slicer And Cutter

Buying Guide

You’re probably familiar with that old chestnut, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” We’re not sure who came up with that idiom, but we’re going to take their word for it. We can, however, definitely confirm that there is more than one way to slice a watermelon, which by contrast is an activity that almost every person has had to do.

If you’re one of them, you know that watermelons are just one of those fruits that don’t play well with your standard set of kitchen knives. A good butcher knife will slice it in half, and from there you’re in for a lot of mess (and probably a lot of wasted food) as you try to separate the flesh from the rind without leaving any behind. It’s a testament to how tasty watermelons are that we’re willing to put that much work into it.

As they also say, work smarter, not harder. There are plenty of specialized tools out there that can make your watermelon prep easier, more precise or less messy. The best might even do all three, but in most cases you should buy with an eye towards how you serve your melon.

If you’re incorporating your watermelon into a fancy salad or appetizer tray, you’ll want nice, even cubes — and a lot of them. For a hands-on approach, there are several variations on a slicer/tong combo tool. It typically resembles a double-bladed sickle with a small, thin blade connecting the two at the tip. The handle squeezes the two sides together. You slice into the melon in an even scoop, then clench to pick the entire chunk up.

This usually gets a nice curved slice that can make the most of the melon, but if you want to really eliminate waste, you can use a corer or coring knife. It’s a flexible blade, sometimes made of plastic, capable of scraping the inside of the watermelon and separating the most flesh possible from the rind.

In recent years, we have seen a number of “windmill” style cutters come on the market. If you want to get truly precise cuts without ever getting your hands wet, this is the tool for you. The operation is truly unique and difficult to describe, but it works by pushing a tray into the side of a cut watermelon. As it does so, a rotating set of blades slices cubes of fruit off onto the tray, each the same size as the one before it. Some models will even let you adjust the size between slices. It’s not the best tool for getting that flesh at the sides of the watermelon, but if you’ve got presentation in mind, there’s nothing faster.

Of course, it should be noted that none of the above methods will save you from the workout of having to make that initial cut. If you’re going to use any blade you can hold in one hand, you’re going to need to open up the watermelon by slicing it in half first. If you just want to get teeth on some juicy watermelon as quickly as possible, there’s no substitute for a top-down, full-body slicer. These are inspired by the coring slicers commonly used to make apple slices and the like, but scaled up to fit around a watermelon. They are typically a large round frame around a series of bladed “spokes.” Operation is easy: Simply muscle it down over the top of your whole watermelon and voila. 12 (or so) easy slices.

Of course, this method will leave you with the rind to dispose of on each slice. Needless to say, it won’t be the cleanest way to get your fruit fix, and it will likely take up a significant amount of space in your cabinets.

Those are some common watermelon slicing configurations, but there are others: Mini-scoop utensils for round portions, boring tools for making watermelon rings and more. Again, which tool you go for depends on how you prefer to serve your watermelon.

One good thing about watermelon slicers: They don’t need to be particularly sharp, unless you’re getting the top-down, full-body type. Just make sure that the cutting blades can withstand a lot of moisture. Some slicers are even made of plastic and are relatively safe for small children.

Watermelon seeds are a nuisance to some, but they’re actually not dangerous to eat and can even be quite nutritious — if they’re sprouted first. Soak them in water overnight, then wait a few days until you can see the “tail” of a sprout protrude. Dry them out in the oven or hot sun for awhile, and you’ve got a healthy snack to put on salads or eat by the handful.