Alton Brown's Kitchen Gadget Hack To Remove Watermelon Rinds In A Flash

Watermelon is one of the most universally beloved summer foods and for good reason — almost everyone can agree that this sweet, crunchy, hydrating fruit is totally delicious. But, once you've picked the perfect watermelon at the store, you have to wade through a plethora of strong opinions that surround how best to chop, slice, scrape, and generally transform a whole watermelon into a sweet, fruity, and edible snack. If you think you've seen every life-changing watermelon cutting hack, think again, because Alton Brown has brought us a truly genius way to remove watermelon rinds.

Brown's hack requires only a large knife, a watermelon, and an unexpected secret weapon — a handheld cheese slicer with the metal roller removed. Use the knife to slice the watermelon into large circles roughly 3 or 4 inches in thickness, and then cut a small slit through the edge of the rind. Next, take your roller-free cheese slicer, insert the wire into the slit in the rind, and slice in a circular motion as close to the rind as possible. The result? A circle of ready-to-eat watermelon goodness which can then be chopped up (or simply eaten like a giant cookie).

We already knew Alton Brown was a genius thanks to his brilliant egg salad add-in, but this watermelon-slicing tip truly proves his innovativeness. With their large size, oblong shape, and hard rind, watermelons can be pretty unwieldy. This means extracting every bit of fruity deliciousness out of the rind often involves awkward and potentially dangerous knife movements. Brown's cheese slicer method allows you to safely and easily scrape that rind clean in seconds. Only a few basic knife cuts are needed — the cheese slicer does all the intricate work.

By the way, detaching the roller from a cheese slicer to transform it into a rind-removing tool is surprisingly easy – most handheld cheese slicers have an adjustable roller that can be removed and reattached by simply twisting a few screws. With this simple yet genius tip, removing the rind from a watermelon is safe, rapid, and incredibly satisfying. Plus, as a sweet extra bonus, Brown's method leaves the rind neatly cut and ready to be transformed into some tasty watermelon rind pickles.