Watermelon is a summer treat that we all look forward to, but we’d be lying if we didn’t confess that this delicious fruit can be a pain in the neck. For one thing, watermelon is difficult to cut in an effective way. Your traditional slices are often hard to eat and do nothing but make a mess for you to clean up! On your clothing, your floors, and on your furniture. Yikes.

So what do you do, stop eating watermelon? Absolutely not! We would never tell you to stop eating this delicious fruit.

There are clever ways to enjoy watermelon with minimal mess, minimal cleanup, and maximum deliciousness. You simply have to learn to cut the watermelon in a creative way, like in the video below! This technique is simple and will change the way you prepare this favorite summer snack.

STEP 1: Start first by cutting the watermelon in half. In this video, we’re advised to make shortcuts through the rind, moving the watermelon around so that the entire circumference is cut. Then, cut straight down the middle until the melon snaps in half.

STEP 2: Take one half of your watermelon and flip it so the rind is up in the air. Use your knife to carefully peel the rind away, slicing it off the sides of the melon. Use long, slow slices to remove the rind most efficiently. Don’t worry about the leftover white pieces for now, you’ll take care of that in the next step.

STEP 3: Cut the top of your watermelon completely off. Use this cutting motion to start taking off the excess white, so that you’re leaving only the reddish flesh behind. To do this most efficiently, use quick, short strokes of your knife as opposed to the longer strokes you used to remove the rind.

STEP 4: Cut the watermelon in slices, towards you.

STEP 5: Turn your cutting board 90 degrees and cut the watermelon across the other way, so you’ve created little squares across the entire surface of the fruit. It should look like a checkered pattern.

STEP 6: Find a bowl that fits over your watermelon and place it over the chopped fruit. If there’s a little extra room on the sides, that’s okay; rather a slightly larger bowl than a too-small one. Lift your cutting board and keep the bowl firmly against it with your other hand. Quickly flip the board so the bowl is right side up.

Now you have sticks of perfectly cut watermelon that you can enjoy mess-free!

Bonus Tip: For a little unexpected flavor, try salting your watermelon. Juice a little lemon (or take a pinch of salt) and pour it over your watermelon. You’ll be floored by how deliciously the balance between the sweetness of the melon and tartness of the lemon work together.

And if you’re looking for another way to cut a watermelon for convenience and beautiful presentation, try this method: