How to Cut a Mango in 3 easy steps

I’m pretty sure that everyone or at least almost everyone loves mangoes.  I mean how could you not?  They are sweet, silky, and just exploding with flavor.  Now if there were anything to complain about with mangoes it would have to be the difficulty in peeling and slicing them.  I still remember my first mango and not being sure whether to peel it with a knife or a peeler.  I ended up using a knife and found out that much of fruit was stuck to the skin.  Some people told me just to buy the pre-sliced mangos from the supermarket or the ones that come in jars.  Well let me tell you those are never as good as a fresh and ripe DIY mango.

    I would like to share with you some basics about slicing mangos.  Before I get to that let me first tell you how to tell when a mango is ripe.

I used to think it was mostly about the color but that is not really true.  Yes you would like to have a mango that has more orangish than green on the skin.  But the best way to test if a mango is ripe is by touching it with your fingers.  If the mango is hard to the touch than it is not going to be ripe.  It can be eaten but the experience will not be that good.  Some people say that a mango is ripe if it is a little firm but gives a bit to touch.  For me I want the mango to be a bit soft all over but not too mushy.  I find when they are like this they are soft inside, sweet, and are just exploding with flavor.

    Now lets get on to how to slice and peel a mango.  It’s best to just lay out these instructions in step-by-step format.  So here they are:

1. Slice the bottom of the mango off.  About the diameter of a half-dollar or so.  Stand the mango up on the sliced side.

2. Starting from the top make slices vertically down to the bottom.  The slices should be about a ½ inch to and inch wide in the middle of the mango. Slice a circular piece from the top of the mango.  About the size of a nickel.

3. Starting from the top use your fingers to peel the skin sections downwards and away from the mango fruit.  They should come off fairly easy after your start. If there is any excess fruit still on the skin slices you can use a knife to shave them off.

4. After peeling off all of the skin layers your will be left with the bare fruit.

5. Working your way around mango vertically slice downward over a plate or cutting board.

6. Do your best to cut as close to the pit as possible. The person who did the peeling and cutting can enjoy any remaining fruit left on the pit.

7. The last step it to just sit back and enjoy this delicious fruit with your family and friends.