Go-Go Gadget: Melon Baller

If you're looking for a new way to jazz up the presentation of your dishes without changing the recipe, it's time you introduced yourself to a melon baller!

These miniature ice cream scooper-looking tools are inexpensive, easy to use, and won't hog any space in your kitchen drawer. Melon ballers are often purchased for a specific recipe, used once, then thrown back into a drawer where it gets pushed back and forgotten about. If you have a de-cluttering date with your kitchen, don't throw this guy away!

For those of you who don't mind spending a little extra time to make your hors d'oeuvres and desserts more visually appealing, the melon baller will be an excellent addition to your kitchen.

To achieve its intended purpose on melons: Wash your melon under cold, running water. Cut in half and remove the seeds using an instrument of your choice (you can use the melon baller here, but it might be more beneficial to use something with a larger scoop). Sink the baller fully into the flesh by holding the scoop flat against the melon or at a slight angle. Press down until the entire scoop has sunk; rotate the baller 180 degrees until it is facing you — there should be a perfect ball of melon sitting in the scoop (Note: if the balls aren't satisfactory, rotate two full rotations before removing the scoop).

Use the melon baller to scoop out your favorite melons, freeze them, and add to some refreshing and fruity summer drinks. Check out our list of sugar-free cocktails to try this out on!

Although it may seem like this tool is only used on melons, it can serve as a handy tool on other foods.

• Use it on peaches to clean up the unappetizing, dark interior flesh surrounding the pit (after removing the pit), or use it to remove the pit of other stone fruits such as plums.
• Clean out the heart of an artichoke.
• Remove blemishes from fruit or black spots and sprouted eyes on potatoes.
• Cut an apple in half and use the melon baller to quickly remove the core. Fast, simple and no wasted fruit!
• Remove the seeds from pumpkin and squash.
• Hull the stem and body of strawberries to create a pocket for fillings and light toppings. Check out our cheesecake-stuffed strawberries recipe!
• Scoop ice cream for fun and sweet recipes — try making a funky ice cream sundae treat for kids (and adults too!).
• Clean out the inside baked potato shells (i.e., handy for twice-baked potatoes).

Sound tasty? Try using a melon baller to gut out the insides of a baked sweet potato for our healthy sweet potato skin recipe.

Peek tomato season is August through September. See how you can use a melon baller to help make our quinoa stuffed tomato recipe this summer.

Instead of cutting watermelon into cubes, use the melon baller to add shape variety to our watermelon, mint and feta salad recipe. At only 91 calories per serving and taking 10 minutes to make, this recipe is a great way to get your watermelon fix with a creative twist.