SUMMARY
Mangoes are delicious and versatile fruits that add sweetness and flavor to any dish. With these tips, cutting them can be fun and easy.
Mangoes are a delicious stone fruit that sometimes can be kind of tricky to peel and cut.
In this article, we will help you learn how to tell if a mango is ripe and how to cut a mango. We’ll even share some tasty mango recipes you can easily make at home.
How To Tell If A Mango Is Ripe
Before you even think about cutting into a mango, you have to make sure that it’s ripe first. Although there are delicious ways to eat green mangoes, if you’re looking for that ripe mango taste, you’ll be deeply disappointed if you cut into your mango before it’s ready.
Yellow mangoes usually start out as a light green color. When they’re this color they’re usually quite sour, almost bitter. The mango will eventually start to turn yellow and red. At this point, the fruit will taste more tart than sour. Eventually, the entire mango will turn yellow. This is a sign that the mango is at a point where its fruit will taste sweet. The mango will eventually turn a darker yellow and the fruit will be as sweet as it will ever be before it starts to go bad.
It’s important to remember that there are different types of mangoes, and not all will turn yellow when ripe. The color might not be the clearest sign for ripeness.
A better way to determine the ripeness of a mango is by touch. A rock-hard mango is not yet ripe. It will probably taste either sour or tart, but a soft mango will taste much sweeter.
Better yet, try to squeeze the mango and see if you smell a sweet scent coming from either stem-end. When you can smell a mango’s sweetness it means that it is definitely ready to be eaten.
Once your mango is ripe, you can cut it.
Best Ways To Cut A Mango
There are a few ways to cut a mango. Below are five quick and easy ways it can be done.
Strategy 1 – The Old-fashioned Method
To cut a mango the old-fashioned way you first have to skin it. You can either do that with a knife like they used to do in the old days of the military or you can use a potato peeler.
Once you have your mango peeled, place the wider end of your mango on the cutting board. Place your knife on the topmost tip of your mango and cut straight down until you hit the large pit. Once you’ve come in contact with the pit, slowly angle your knife away from the center and cut as much of the fruit away from the seed as possible without cutting the seed as well. Once you’ve done this for one side of your mango, repeat the process to the other side.
At this point, you’ll have two halves of mango fruit which you can then cut into smaller apple slice-like pieces.
Strategy 2 – The Hedgehog Method
This method is similar to the old-fashioned method because you’ll be cutting your mango into two pieces. Unlike strategy #1 however, you don’t need to peel the mango. Instead, leave the peel on as you cut your mango halves.
Once you have your two halves, cut lines both horizontally and vertically into the fruit without letting your knife pierce the skin of the mango. After you’re done making your cuts, you can press the mango skin and flip the fruit so it is jutting out of the skin.
This is a great method if you’re looking to keep your fruit contained, yet easily accessible.
Simply cut a cube of mango whenever you want and leave the rest attached to the skin.
Strategy 3 – The Mango Splitter Method
Technology has made lots of things easier, including cutting mangoes. If you go to your local home goods store they’ll most likely have a mango splitter that you can buy that takes most of the work out of cutting mangoes. Use the splitter to cut open the mango and use your knife to cut the fruit.
Strategy 4 – The Drinking Glass Method
This is an efficient way to cut mangoes, especially if you have to cut a batch of mangoes for your Sunday meal prep. Cut your mango in half, then scoop out the fruit using a drinking glass.
Strategy 5 – The X Peeling Method
Using your knife, lightly cut an X mark at the top of the mango. Use your fingers to peel the skin in each direction. Then, simply cut and slice your mango.
Easy Mango Recipes
Mango is such a delicious and versatile fruit. It adds a sweetness and flavor that tastes good in almost any dish. Below are just a few of the more unique dishes you can make with mango.
Give one of them a try!
- Fruity black rice salad with cilantro, avocado, and pepitas in chili-orange vinaigrette
- Chicken, kiwi, and mango salad
- Mango honey jalapeno chimichurri
- Rice pudding with ginger, amaranth, and mango
- Chicken in coconut mango verde sauce
- Mango mousse pie
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