How To Cut A Papaya Without Losing Its Juiciness

Papayas are a tropical fruit that can make a great addition to your fruit intake. Creamy, mildly sweet, and packed with antioxidants and vitamins, you can blend them in a smoothie, mix them up in a fruit salad, or eat them cubed with a dash of lime juice. If you've never handled papaya before, it may be a fruit that's a little confusing to cut, especially because its shape and size can vary drastically. Some papaya varieties look like an elongated pear while others can grow to the size of a large pineapple. However, they can all be cut similarly, and the first step is to start with a ripe papaya. To choose the perfect papaya every time, pick one that has almost entirely turned a warm yellow color but still has some green patches. The little bit of green ensures that the papaya isn't overripe. Raw papaya is also edible, but its mild flavor and crunchy texture are best used in a Thai papaya salad.

The riper a papaya gets, the softer the skin and flesh become, increasing the chances of squashing while trying to section it. To ensure it doesn't get mashed or lose its juiciness, it's important to use the right knife. A cheese or tomato knife works well to cut through the waxy skin and flesh of a papaya. Slice the fruit lengthwise through the middle and use a spoon to gently scoop out the seeds from inside. Be careful not to apply too much pressure to avoid removing the flesh. Now, you are ready to peel and section the papaya as you wish.

Since both the skin and the flesh of ripe papaya are soft, it's very easy to peel away the flesh as well. Therefore, it's best to use a peeler to get the skin off if you're new to peeling papaya. Since it is a relatively large fruit, a tool like OXO's Y-shaped peeler works best to take off large chunks of skin in a single stroke. You can peel a papaya whole and then split it, remove the seeds, and chop it. Alternatively, cut it lengthwise first, scoop out the seeds, and then use the peeler to take the skin off.

A popular way to eat papaya is in half-moons. To do this, cut the two peeled halves into inch-thick sections. You can also section the papaya into half moons with the skin on, and then use a spoon to gently scoop out the flesh. While this is a good way to ensure you minimize wastage, it only works with completely ripe papayas that are soft enough to be scooped out with a spoon. If the papaya isn't ripe enough, you can speed up the process and ripen it as you would an avocado by placing it in a paper bag along with an apple or a banana. Once you get the hang of how much of the skin needs to be taken off, using a knife to peel a papaya also becomes simple. Feel free to peel and section the whole fruit since chopped papaya can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.