How to perfectly prepare fruit for a fruit salad
Fresh, delicious, and satisfying, a fruit salad is the perfect light treat. Whether it’s setting you up for the day ahead or tickling your taste buds as a dessert, what are the best tools for preparing a fruit salad?
How to prepare a mango
Nothing says summer like a ripe, juicy mango. But the hard pit and smooth skin can make it a tricky one to navigate.
Without specialised tools, the easiest way is to cut the mango in half along the pit. You can then score the mango and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. From there, you can trim the remaining mango flesh from the core.
A Mango Splitter, however, makes peeling and de-stoning a doddle. These handy gadgets come with a convenient holder to balance the mango in place as you push the handle down. The blade slots precisely around the pit to remove the flesh from the stone. It’s a lot safer than trying to find the stone with a knife, and it saves time - your mango is ready to eat in seconds
Once your mango is peeled and pitted, you can decide whether to cut the pieces into cubes or wedges using a paring knife.
How to prepare a pineapple
Sweet, fragrant pineapple can add a tropical flavour to your fruit salad, but when it comes to slicing, they can seem daunting.
A Chef’s knife is the best tool for this spiky fruit. The sharp, curved blades are broad at the base and narrow at the top for both speed and precision.
First, lay the pineapple on its side and slice off the top and bottom. The length of the chef’s knife should make this quick and easy.
Sit the pineapple back up, and slice the skin away from the flesh, lengthways, all the way around. Once peeled, you can cut the pineapple into rings, slice it lengthways, or cube it for your fruit salad.
How to cut a pomegranate
Pomegranate seeds can add a delightful burst of colour and flavour to your fruit salad. But if you’ve ever tried to de-seed a pomegranate with a fork, you may well have ended up with jabbed fingers and red juice everywhere.
Fortunately, there’s a more practical way to cut a pomegranate, and all you need is a serrated paring knife. These lightweight knives have a serrated blade, making them ideal for carrying out precise cuts on soft produce.
Score around the top of the pomegranate (the part with a stalk), being careful not to slice all the way through the skin. The top should peel away, revealing the seeds inside.
Once the top’s removed, you’ll see there are five veins arranged in a star shape. With the knifepoint, score along one of the veins, down the curved side of the fruit until you’ve sliced the pomegranate in half.
Break the pomegranate into two halves and then pull apart to loosen the seeds. Place one of the halves seed-down against your palm, hold it over a bowl, and tap the back of the fruit with a wooden spoon. The seeds should naturally fall into the bowl, ready to scatter into your fruit salad. Repeat for the other side.
How to slice a melon
A large melon can be intimidating to prepare. Not to mention how slippery those seeds get! First, place the melon on a large chopping board and use a large knife to cut it cleanly in half. From there, you can scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Then, cut the melon into slices. Use a small paring knife to separate the flesh from the skin.
Or, treat yourself to our 2 in 1 Melon tool, which allows you to cleanly remove all of the seeds and interior so that all that’s left is the ripe, juicy melon. The small knife has been designed to easily separate the skin from the flesh, so your melon is ready in minutes.
How to prepare passion fruit
Tangy and delicious, passion fruits can bring a bit of crunch and pizzazz to your fruit salad. Preparing one of these juicy little pods is quite easy. Using a Santoku knife, simply cut the fruit in half. The robust blade of a santoku should make light work of the outer skin.
Once halved, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the flesh right into your bowl of fruit.
A fruit salad is a tasty way to get your five a day, and choosing the right tools and type of knives can make preparing fruit quick and easy.
-----
Liked this? Read more related articles from the experts at Zyliss:
