Remember when Baby Houseman bragged that she’d “carried a watermelon” in Dirty Dancing? Yeah, it would’ve been more impressive if she’d said she’d “cubed a watermelon” — a truly arduous task. Cutting those giant, wobbly orbs in half is a feat in and of itself, but removing the flesh in a uniform, non-haphazard way? That takes a fruit whisperer. Or the Yidada Watermelon Cutter. Videos showing this $10 tool in action have gone viral, and it’s not hard to see why: It works quickly, safely and produces perfect cubes that’ll make your fruit salad look like something Martha Stewart would serve. Snag one before your next summer bash — it’ll make cookout prep a breeze.
Amazon
Easier, safer meal prep, less-fatigued hands, yadda, yadda, Yidada…
$10 at Amazon
So, how does this odd-looking contraption work? Well, you’ll still need to quarter your watermelon the traditional way (sorry, there’s no getting around that). But once that’s done, you just place the cutter against the cut side of one quarter and push. Its windmill-like blades will portion the fruit into evenly sized cubes as you go, with the long handle acting as a sort of conveyor belt for the cut pieces. There’s even a handy measuring guide on the side should you want your cubes to be a certain height.
From there, you’ll empty the cubes from the handle as you go and work your way through the watermelon row by row. No more slippery knives or jagged pieces that look like a toddler sliced them. Once you’re finished (which should be quite soon after you start), simply rinse the cutter with water to clean. Easy breezy!
Over 1,000 Amazon customers are making barbecue prep easier thanks to the Yidada Watermelon Cutter.
“This is the best purchase I have made for the summer,” raved one of them. “I hate cutting watermelon, but this has totally changed my views. I cut three watermelons in, like, 10 minutes. It is so easy to clean as well.”
I normally don’t buy ‘one use only’ kitchen gadgets, but I love watermelon while hating to cut it up,” shared another shopper. “You can choose the height of the bites by how far down you start your cut. The wheel cuts each piece into the same width as you roll into the fruit. It also works well on the curves so you can get as much fruit out as possible.”
“Love this,” wrote a third. “Makes it so much easier; I have issues with my hands, [and] this has helped a lot.”
As with many products you use for the first time, there might be a learning curve. “This does take a bit of getting used to,” admitted a generally satisfied reviewer, “but once you get the hang of it, it’s great.”
“Cool gadget,” wrote a final fan. “The one thing is, if your watermelon is on the soft side, this doesn’t work as well.” Refreshingly crisp watermelon for the win!
Amazon
Once you realize what a time- and effort-saver this gizmo is, it’ll be melon mania in your kitchen.
$10 at Amazon
Another summer must-have? This corn kernel remover that’ll keep nature’s floss out of your teeth.
Amazon
This No. 1 bestselling bad boy tackles the entire ear in one fell swoop. The inside is equipped with a sharp, ring-shaped blade that saws the kernels away from the cob while keeping your fingers out of harm’s way. All you do is place one end of the ear inside, then twist the stripper in a downward motion. Ta-da!
“It sheared 14 ears in 10 minutes with full kernels,” reported one reviewer. “I was quite pleased. … Only takes three or four ears to become proficient.”
$10 at Amazon
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
