Salad Spinners Are The Secret To Non-Soggy Watermelon Cubes
Buying a big old watermelon is undeniably a commitment, and there is nothing worse than taking all the time to slice and dice it only to find your hard work turned into a soggy mess in the fridge. Cut watermelon usually goes bad within three to five days, even when properly stored. Once cut, liquid starts to leach out of the fruit — and really what's a sweet and juicy watermelon without the sweet juice? Plus, if your watermelon pieces are sitting in that liquid, they can quickly turn soggy and slimy.
In order to prevent that unpleasant textural change, you have to find a way to drain out the liquid as the watermelon sits. The good news is that you probably already have the perfect tool to do this — a salad spinner! You won't need to spin your watermelon, though. The structure of the salad spinner is what you are after. Simply place your cut watermelon in the inner basket, so that the liquid will gather in the bottom of the outer bowl as it sits, preventing any soggy mess.
Other kitchen options that will help drain the juice
A salad spinner provides a handy way to store watermelon, but it is not your only option. Large storage containers that have a grate, basket, or moisture drainage holes at the bottom will also work well. These are usually labeled lettuce keepers or produce savers.
You can also build your own makeshift watermelon container out of some other common kitchen items. For example, place a wire baking rack in the bottom of a large plastic or glass container, load in the watermelon, and seal with the lid. Alternatively, stack a steamer basket or colander into a mixing bowl of about the same size and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap.
If none of these options are at your disposal, place a few layers of paper towels in the bottom of a container. This won't work quite as well as something that physically separates the watermelon from the juice, but it will absorb some of the extra liquid any way.
How to use your non-soggy watermelon - and the leftover juice
There are so many ways to use fresh watermelon. You can use watermelon in various sweet applications or incorporate it into savory items where you would usually use cucumber or jicama, for example. Toss together a watermelon salad with lots of fresh herbs, blend chunks into a slushie, top it with a spicy and tangy chamoy drizzle, or even replace your tomato sandwich slices with watermelon.
With the salad spinner method, you now also have a little cache of pure watermelon juice, that allow more possibilities. Of course, you can just take a few swigs whenever you pull out the container, but you can also get creative with how you use that juice. Spike your standard can of seltzer with watermelon juice for a sweet touch, use it as the base of a fruity vinaigrette, or heat it with sugar to make a watermelon simple syrup for cocktails. And if you just have way too much watermelon on hand, blend it up — juice and all — and freeze in ice cube trays, providing a fresh and fruity way to chill all your beverages or have ready-to-go smoothie cubes on hand.