How to Cut a Cantaloupe

The perfect cantaloupe can be elusive, even in the summer when they're in-season and at their peak. But what pleasure when you get one! Fragrant and perfumed, a ripe cantaloupe bursts with floral sweetness and a cucumber-y freshness that's hard to beat.

There are some methods that will increase your chances of getting a ripe cantaloupe, but in my experience, they're not foolproof. Here are a few things to look for:

• An "Innie" Stem End: Melons grow on vines that sprawl across the ground, and those vines will naturally detach from the melon when it's fully mature. Cantaloupes that still have a stem fragment attached have been harvested early, and are less like to have a fully developed flavor, aroma, and sweetness (melons do not continue to ripen once off the plant). That said, I've had less-than-stellar cantaloupes with the proper stem detachment, and I've had some good ones that still had the stem attached, so again, it's not a foolproof method of judging ripeness and quality.

• Developed Aroma: Smell the melon at the end that was attached to the vine. It should smell distinctly sweet and musky, as if the cantaloupe can no longer contain its exploding ripeness.
• Pale orange skin: The skin behind its tan netting should be pale orange, or at the very least a very light green. Avoid dark green melons.
• Heavy for its Size: A melon that feels heavy for its size is likely to be juicier.
  

Once you're ready to serve your cantaloupe, here's what you need to know to cut it up.

Cantaloupes and Food Safety

According to the University of Wisconson-Extension, cantaloupes and other net-skinned melons are a frequent source of salmonella poisoning. The bacteria get into the bumpy skin from contact with the ground; that bumpy skin makes it very difficult to clean. So, what should you do?

Some guides recommend fully removing the skin of the cantaloupe before proceeding to cut it up. But the more I think about this, the less sense it makes: Even when removing the skin, the knife will still expose the inner melon flesh to whatever might be on the skin's exterior. It accomplishes nothing, safety-wise, as far as I can see. UW-Extension does not advise removing the skin; instead, they recommend the following:

• Avoid damaged or bruised cantaloupes when shopping.
• Refrigerate ripe cantaloupes until ready to eat.
• Wash hands with hot, soapy water before and after cutting up the melon.
• Wash the cantaloupe well with cool water and a clean produce brush before cutting.
• Use clean cutting boards, and wash them well with hot, soapy water after use, just as you would if cutting up raw chicken.
• Do not eat any bruised or damaged areas of the melon, if there are any. Instead, trim that section of the melon away and discard it.
• All cut cantaloupe should be refrigerated, if not being eaten right away. Discard any cut melon that has sat out in 40-90°F temperatures for more than two hours, and 90-140°F temperatures for more than one hour.

With all this in mind, here's how to cut a cantaloupe up into slices and cubes. If you want to ball your melon, simply halve and seed as instructed below, then grab your melon baller and go to town.

Step 1: Wash Melon Well, Then Trim Ends

As noted in the safety section above, wash your melon (and your hands) well. Then, on a clean cutting board, trim off both ends. This will make subsequent cuts (marginally) easier and offers a stable surface for halving the melon.

You could, if you wanted, proceed to skin the entire melon at this point using a knife. I prefer not to because it makes the melon much slippier afterwards, such that seeding is then more difficult, but if you feel differently, feel free to remove the skin now. (As noted above, I do not think removing the skin at this point is any safer from a salmonella perspective than keeping it on; the knife cuts will expose the inner flesh to pathogens either way.)

Step 2: Halve Melon

With the cantaloupe sitting on one of its cut ends, cut it in half from top to bottom.

Step 3: Scoop Out Seeds

Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.

Step 4: Cut Cantaloupe Halves into Quarters, Then Wedges

Working from pole to pole, slice the cantaloupe into wedges of the thickness of your choosing. I like to halve each half first when doing this as I find it's easier to slice melon quarters (otherwise you have to rock the melon half to one side for the first few cuts, which is awkward).

Step 5: Slice Flesh Away From Skin

Carefully run your knife through each slice to separate the flesh fully from the skin to form finished slices.

Step 6: Dice or Cube, if Desired

If you want to cut the melon into chunks, you can cross-cut the slices into smaller pieces. If you want much smaller pieces, you can first cut the slices into thinner lengthwise strips before cutting the dice.