Kitchen Tips How To How to Cut a Cantaloupe A few tips and techniques are all you need to cut your cantaloupe perfectly every time. By Sara Haas, RDN, LDN Sara Haas, RDN, LDN Sara Haas RDN, LDN, is a food and nutrition expert with formal training in the culinary arts. She works as a freelance writer, recipe developer, media authority, public speaker, and consultant dietitian/chef. Sara has over 20 years of experience as a registered and licensed dietitian. She has also been a professional chef for 15 years and a food photographer for 10 years. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on May 23, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Sara Haas If you’ve ever tried to cut a melon without knowing what you’re doing, you know it can be challenging. Where do you start? How do you stabilize it so that it doesn’t roll right off your cutting board? And once you’ve cut into it, what are you supposed to do? What You Need to Cut a Cantaloupe It can be intimidating and a bit overwhelming to cut a big, round fruit like a cantaloupe, but with a few tips, you’ll become a master. Cantaloupe - Choose a cantaloupe that feels heavy for its size. The “netting” around the skin should be tan and the color underneath, mostly tannish-orange in color. A ripe cantaloupe smells sweet and the stem end should give a little when pressed. Avoid melons with soft spots or cuts. Water - Like any food you plan on cutting, you’ll need to give your cantaloupe a good rinse under cool, running water to clean it. What Is a Guava — and How Do You Eat It? A sharp knife - A chef’s knife works best for this task. Cutting board - A heavy board that’s dedicated for fruits and vegetables is ideal. How to Cut a Cantaloupe Step 1: Wash the cantaloupe under cool, running water. Use a vegetable brush to remove any dirt. Pat dry with a clean towel or paper towels. Step 2: Place a damp paper towel on your work surface then cover with your cutting board. This creates a stable surface for cutting. Step 3: Trim off both ends (the stem and blossom ends) of the cantaloupe using a chef's knife. Step 4: Place the cantaloupe on one of its cut (now flat) ends on the cutting board. Use your knife to remove the rind by cutting it away from the fruit. Start at the top then move the knife down towards the cutting board. Follow the curve of the melon as you go to prevent slicing too far into the fruit. Continue along the cantaloupe until all of the rind has been removed. Discard or compost rind. The 10 Riskiest Foods to Eat, According to Food Safety Data How to Pick the Perfect Melon Step 5: Slice peeled melon in half and use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds. Discard or compost seeds. How to Make Fruit Trifle: Your Easiest, Prettiest Summer Dessert Step 6: Place the halves with their flat, cut sides facing down on the board. Cut into slices, wedges or chunks. *For melon balls, leave the skin on and slice the melon in half. Remove the seeds and use a melon baller to scoop out the fruit. Place cut melon into a food-safe container, cover with a lid and enjoy within 5 days. Looking for a good recipe for cantaloupe? Try and of these great ideas! Related: What Is Winter Melon? How to Cut a Watermelon in 10 Ways 9 Top-Rated Fruit Salad Recipes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit