How to Slice a Mango
February 25th, 2007
Stumble it!
Mangos are fun to slice, because they end up looking like little mango hedgehogs. How can you not like a little mango hedgehog?
Start with a ripe mango. How to you tell if they’re ripe? As tempting as it may be to go after red and yellow ones, color isn’t always your best indicator. The mango should be slightly soft, fragrant, and heavy for its size. You don’t want a mushy mango, but you should be able to dent it with your thumb if you want to. Slightly firmer mangos are good, too, and hold up better in cooking. A mango will ripen on your counter, so don’t be a afraid to get one that’s a little underripe if that’s all that’s available. They’re sort of like avocados in that way.
Inside a mango is a flat, oblong pit. If you go to slice it down the middle you won’t be very happy. Instead, slice off the sides first. If you hit the pit, try to cut a curving arc around it. No biggie.
Now you should have two side slices and a thick center slice containing the pit. Slice off the other two sides, getting as close to the pit as you can withut hitting it. You can use a paring knife to slice off any remaining mango meat on the pit. This is nice to snack on while you’re cutting the rest of the mango.
Now, my favorite part!
With a small paring knife, slice the mango into cubes without cutting through the skin! The size doesn’t matter. I make mine pretty small, but you could do large chunks if you want. The key is not breaking the skin. If you’re careful, you should be able to feel the tip of the knife hit the skin while you’re making your slices.
Using your thumbs, press the mango inside out. Mango hedgehog! You can now break off little pieces with your fingers (or mouth) if you want. You can also use a knife and let the pieces fall into a bowl.
You should be able to slice off the pieces fairly easily. You don’t want to eat the skin, and you definitely don’t want to snack on so much of it there’s nothing left for your dinner/dessert/fruit salad.
You can do the same thing with the other smaller side pieces, they just don’t get quite so hedgehog-like. They’re still good though!
12 Comments Add your own
1. kat | February 25th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
This is hilarious, because I was cutting up a mango tonight and thinking, you know, I really don’t know how to do this without making a mess. I usually cut the same chunks off that you have, but peel it before, and it gets all slippery and unmanageable. I’ll have to try it this way next time, looks a lot easier
2. amey | February 26th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Ha ha! I love the image of a mango hedgehog!
I love mangos so much… mmmm. Makes me want to go run out and buy one right now!
3. Randi Brown | February 26th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Thank you! I love the lessons!
4. Lolo | February 26th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Kat - that’s so weird. we must be on the same wavelength or something.
Amey - I know! Aren’t they tasty!?
Randi - You’re welcome! I’m glad you like them!
5. vez | March 4th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
mango hedgehogs! you rock!
and yay for finally knowing the secret to not creating an undesired mango smoothie on the chopping board. ♥
6. Cora Giglio | March 14th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Your site is wonderful! I’ll definitely use it as a resource. I hope things are going well for you.
7. Pam | May 2nd, 2007 at 12:57 pm
My daugter and I love mangos. They are pretty messy to cut. I usually peel the skin first then cut it apart. My daughter would be eating the pieces as soon as they hit the plate, she didn’t leave me much. This seems alot easier. I’ll try it next time. Thanks.
8. sarah | October 4th, 2007 at 9:57 am
thanks for this! i always have the hardest time slicing mangoes & end up avoiding them because of it… but they are so, so good.
9. anna | May 3rd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
thank you - just yesterday I tried for the first time to slice a mango to make carmelized mangos. What a mess ! - I had no idea
how to slice them - this sounds so easy.
10. How to Eat a Mango&hellip | June 2nd, 2008 at 8:47 am
[…] VeganYumYum shows us how to eat a mango that looks a little like a hedgehog! […]
11. Kathleen Olson | July 4th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Thanks so much! We learned a little late but it is good to know how to actually slice a mango. We made a mess trying to slice it for a fruit salad for the 4th.
12. Jenny | July 5th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
when i googled how to slice a mango, yours was the site i just happened to select. i’m glad it was! it’s one of the most fun kitchen how-tos i’ve read in some time!
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