GREENSBORO, NC -- Fruit is a favorite in the summer. But if you don't pick it yourself, you don't know where it's been! In a truck, covered in pesticide, or touched by dirty hands at the grocery store! Yuck! Normally, a quick rinse gets rid of any dangerous bacteria, like salmonella. But some if you cut it wrong, some fruits can still end up with germs inside.
Restaurant Report Card lesson chef and GTCC culinary instructor Al Romano says the secret is peeling, not slicing.
"This is from the ground and they put pesticides on them. Salmonella on the rind can also be a huge concern so you really want to wash your melons no matter what."
Al says most people go right into the melon and cut it so whatever is on the outside of the melon is going to go inside. "So what I do a lot of times is cut the ends first and then I will start peeling and just work my way all the way around it. It's just like peeling a big basketball or baseball whatever you like."
Al says once he's done peeling, he washes the melon again just to be safe.
Al also says it IS safe to cut right in the middle of oranges, lemons, or even apples and not worry about bacteria because they have higher acidity levels.
WEB EXTRA: Is there a "right" way to cut watermelon? As long as you rinse it first, not really. But check out this video with tips on how to slice and cube a waterlemon!
