Melon ballers are a practical tool you can use for multiple purposes. Not only can they be used to create melon balls, but you can use them to scoop ice cream, make meatballs, or carve other fruits. They are extremely durable and easy to use for entertainment purposes.
In this article, we will review three distinctive types of melon ballers and their uses:
Melon Ballers Kitchen Utensils
A melon baller is a stainless steel or plastic utensil containing scoops of various sizes. Their intended use is to be inserted into a melon and twisted to form a ball shape. You can use melon balls to accompany a sorbet, as a garnish, in fruit salad, or when serving fruit.
How to Use a Melon Baller Properly
Properly using a melon baller isn’t as simple as cutting a melon in half and using the melon baller. Prepare the melon beforehand to avoid contamination from occurring in the fruit.
To use, first wash both the knife, melon baller, and melon. Scrub the entire melon using a clean brush under slightly cool water. This way, you’ll remove all bacteria from the fruit before eating it. Furthermore, bacteria found on the rind can contaminate the flesh of the melon once you slice it.
Wait until you are ready to cut the lemon to wash it as wet rinds often encourage mold to grow. Do not use detergent or soap to clean it- just water. These may penetrate to the flesh part of the melon and can cause a soapy taste.
Using your knife, cut the melon in half. Remove all the seeds. Cutting a melon in half is ideal because it forms a bowl to catch the juice. It is just a little tip to keep things neater. If the center has seeds or pulp, use a spoon to scoop it out. Get rid of the seeds.
Take your melon baller and sink it fully into the melon’s flesh. Hold it flat against your melon or by using a slight angle. Press down the scoop into the melon until it has entirely sunk into the flesh. If there is a portion of the scoop outside of the melon, irregular chunks will form instead of a perfect sphere.
Rotate the melon baller 180°. The scoop should be facing you. A perfectly shaped melon should be left in the scoop.
If the balls aren’t spherical, rotate the scoop by two complete rotations before removing it. For melon ballers with a plastic scoop or handle, avoid applying excessive pressure. They may break if you are using them on dense fruits.
Other Uses for a Melon Baller
You can vary the size of the balls by using other tools as well. The scoop-on melon ballers come in different sizes, so you can change things up a bit. An alternative is metal measuring spoons if you want to create different sizes on a budget.
Melon ballers are a versatile tool. You can use them for the following purposes:
- Coring fruit
- Getting rid of fruit blemishes
- Sculpting food like meatballs, cookie dough, or Matzoh dumplings
- Cleaning out the insides of vegetables or fruits for stuffing
Premade Melon Ballers
Premade melon ballers are utensils designed to create a melon ball over other tools that have multiple uses. You can use both to make great-looking melon balls. It is just a matter of specific designation.
If you take it to technical terms, a premade melon baller is a utensil with two scoops on it as opposed to one. It is designed to make two different sizes of melon balls.
Best Budget: OXO Good Grips Melon Baller
The OXO Good Grips Melon Baller is composed of durable stainless-steel scoops. Use it for either fruit or veggie preparation. You can use the small-sized scoop (one inch) for pears, strawberries, tomatoes, or scooping seeds from vegetables.
The large scoop (1.24 inches) is ideal for drop cookies, ice cream, and fruit salads.
Pros:
- Edges are sharp enough to penetrate food, yet safe to touch
- Non-slip handle
- Safe to use in dishwasher
Cons:
- Wand is too long
- Holes in it make lemon juice run out
Best Overall: Suuker Melon Baller Scoop Set
This melon baller receives the best overall designation because of its versatility. This four-in-one kitchen tool allows you to create a melon ball, has a carver knife for fruit, two different sized scoops for either making fruit balls or getting rid of seeds.
Using food-grade plastic and durable stainless steel, this melon baller is durable. It will resist corrosion and will retain its shape over time.
Pros:
- Contains a stackable design keeping the tools fully together
- Small footprint
- Wide uses for fruit and veggies
- Does not retain odor
Cons:
- Cutting blade easily bends
Huge Melon Ballers
Most melon ballers tend to run in the one-inch range. For something bigger, look for a product called a meat baller. You can use meat ballers for creating a melon ball quite easily. They still incorporate the same concept, but they look more like a tong and are enclosed as opposed to open.
Best Under $10: HHGZON 2 Piece Melon Baller
This meat baller/melon baller comes in two sizes: 1.85” and 1.38”. The long stainless-steel handle eliminates hand fatigue and operating it is simple. To use it for a melon, hold the baller wide open and use one end to begin to pierce the flesh. Rotate it 180° to get the perfect spherical shape and use the opposite end to clamp it down/hold it.
The inside of the melon baller is smooth providing a non-stick surface. Melon balls will easily slide out without you having to use a finger to pry it out.
Pros:
- Made from 304 stainless steel
- Resists high temperatures
- Thickened level design
Cons:
- Hand wash
- Metal may flake off
Melon ballers are a very useful tool and do more than just create a melon ball. They are a very diverse tool in making any spherical object, and many come with additional features like a fruit core, cutter, or designer. While you can use other objects to make a spherical ball, they won’t cut into the flesh as well as an actual melon baller.
Very informative! Love the pros and cons you incorporated. Good job!