What's the best way to cut a mango?

Question

I love mangoes and always have trouble getting into them. I understand that the best way is to cut it in half and score it and turn it inside out, making cubes. . . but I can never get around the core. I can never seem to cut around it like I assume you need to in order to score it. I always end up pulling the skin off and eating it like a big, messy peach. Am I not waiting long enough for them to ripen and soften enough? Or am I just not cutting right?

Answer 1

Select a mango that is not overly ripe. Very ripe mangos should be reserved for recipes where the pulp is pureed.

Mangos have a very large, flat seed, so they cannot be sliced through the center. Upon examination, you'll notice the mango has opposing flat sides.

• Place the mango with one flat side resting on the cutting board.
• Slice the mango lengthwise along the flat side next to the seed.
• Turn mango over and repeat on the other side. You should have two halves of mango pulp in the skin.
• Set aside the seed with its remaining circle of pulp

Carefully cut a cross-hatch pattern through the mango pulp down to the skin, being careful not to cut through the skin
Pick up the cross-cut mango half.
• Place your thumbs gently on either end.
• Place your fingers underneath in the center.
• Gently push upward with your fingers while pressing down with your thumbs to turn the diced pulp inside out in the skin.
Carefully slice out the diced pulp by cutting between the cubed mango pulp and the skin.
• Discard skin.
Cut remaining pulp from the outer edge of the mango seed.
• Pare the skin from the mango pulp.
• Dice and add to the rest of the diced mango.

Answer 2

Randy already gave a good description. It's too messy if you peel the skin off first. Just hold the mango stem side up with narrow side facing you. After some practice you'll be adept at cutting as close to the seed as possible. However, after cutting up the mango into 3 pieces (the 2 'cheeks' and the seed), I don't do the crisscross cuts; I find more satisfaction in just placing one of the cheeks onto my palm then scoop out the meat with a spoon a little at a time as I go about eating it. There's no other neater way on eating the meat around the pit, though. Another trick: Using a drinking glass' rim, scoop out all the meat from the cheek starting from the rounded end in one smooth sweep. Nice, safe, and neat. Mango's a messy fruit, true. But the mess is all worth it.

Answer 3

I do mine differently from any one else I know, but it works well. (After the first step, it’s basically like removing the whole flesh from the two halves of an avocado, but the flesh doesn’t come out quite as easily, and there will be 3 pieces instead of 2.)

So first I stand the mango on its side and cut through it on both sides of the flat pit as close to the pit as I can, as described before (..I actually curve the knife around some as I cut, but not much).

But then for each of the two side pieces, I run the tip of a tablespoon or soup spoon (large oval spoon, but not a measuring spoon) around the edge where the flesh meets the cut surface, also pushing the spoon under the flesh as far as it will comfortably go.
After I go all the way around like that (turning the mango occasionally), there’s usually just a bit of flesh that’s still connected to the middle of the underside of the piece, but running my spoon down there now to free that last bit of flesh isn’t too hard.
When the whole piece of flesh is free, I put it on my cutting board then cut it into cubes in the usual way.

Then I do the second (fat) piece the same way.

Sometimes I don’t bother with the flesh clinging to that middle piece (containing the pit) because there isn’t very much there… but sometimes I go ahead and run my knife under the skin on that piece then slice off some of the flesh in several passes.

I also do the same with kiwis btw (except they will be cut into two pieces), but I do cut the bit of hard stem at the end off first.

P.S. it helps to use a spoon with as thin an edge as you can find... the thick ones don't work as well for this


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 4

Select a mango that is not overly ripe. Very ripe mangos should be reserved for recipes where the pulp is pureed.

You will need:
• Mangos.
• Sharp paring or boning knife.
Mangos have a very large, flat seed, so they cannot be sliced through the center. Upon examination, you'll notice the mango has opposing flat sides.

• Place the mango with one flat side resting on the cutting board.
• Slice the mango lengthwise along the flat side next to the seed.
• Turn mango over and repeat on the other side. You should have two halves of mango pulp in the skin.
• Set aside the seed with its remaining circle of pulp for later instructions.
• Carefully cut a cross-hatch pattern through the mango pulp down to the skin, being careful not to cut through the skin.
• Pick up the cross-cut mango half.
• Place your thumbs gently on either end.
• Place your fingers underneath in the centre.
• Gently push upward with your fingers while pressing down with your thumbs to turn the diced pulp inside out in the skin.
• Carefully slice out the diced pulp by cutting between the cubed mango pulp and the skin.
• Discard skin.
• Cut remaining pulp from the outer edge of the mango seed.
• Pare the skin from the mango pulp.
• Dice and add to the rest of the diced mango.

Answer 5

In Venezuela we have over 20 varieties of mango, and I have never known anyone to cut one like an avocado, simply because the fibers anchor the pit and will prevent the pit from "popping out." You just have to learn where the pit is and cut around it. This is easy: the mango pit is always in the center with the flat side parallel to the longer dimension of the fruit. Then you can score it, although slicing it (like an apple) makes for a much better presentation.

Answer 6

Cut it next to the core. The core/pit is long and flat. Cut on either side of it. You will have two halves and a center strip that contains the pit.
I use a table knife (instead of a pointed knife such as a paring) to score it so I do not go through the skin. Then turn inside out. Presto, mango cubes.

Unfortunately it does not cut like an advocado... more like a cling peach (in terms of seed/pit)

Hope this helps.

FYI Here is a favorite recipe for Mango Sorbet. hope you like it.

Mango Sorbet
4 ripe mangoes (about 3 1/2 pounds total)
1 cup Simple Syrup
3 Tbs fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.
2 Wash and dry mangoes. Using a sharp knife, remove the 2 flat sides of each mango, cutting lengthwise alongside pit and cutting as close to pit as possible so that mango flesh is in 2 large pieces. With a spoon carefully scoop flesh from mango sides into a blender, leaving shells intact. With a knife cut remaining flesh from pit and add to blender. Add syrup and lime juice to blender and purée until smooth. Put mango shells on baking sheet and freeze while making sorbet.
3 Freeze mango purée in an ice-cream maker. Scoop sorbet into frozen shells, mounding slightly, and smooth surfaces. Freeze filled mango shells at least 6 hours, or until frozen hard. Frozen sorbets in shells may be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and kept in freezer 1 week.

Answer 7

I use a potato peeler to cut of the skin, then I just make slices to eat it....yum

Answer 8

There are step by step instructions (with photos) available on this site. And dont feel bad cause I didnt have a clue either until I was shown how to do it properly! :-)

http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookbasics/ss/cutmango.htm

Answer 9

around the circumference like you cut and avocado and then pop, scoop the pit and ta-da.