Get Savvy With A Melon Baller

Monday May 12, 2008 :: by Ingrid

This picture illustrates a perfect round turnip ball scooped out by my ever-handy melon baller.

Definition of a Melon Baller
A kitchen utensil designed to scoop out spherical chunks of melon, or other foods.

I love little kitchen gadgets, especially those that can function in more ways than it was originally designed and a melon baller fits this description. I use mine for all sorts of tasks.

Ways with a melon baller

~ Use to scoop out the core and the stem ends of apples and pears.

~ Scoop out the top and the bottom before slicing the apple in half. Then scoop out the core using the baller.

~ Scoop out the seeds and ribs from peppers.

~ Remove the seeds and surrounding pulp from vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, winter squash, and from fruits like papaya and kiwi.

~ Scrape seeds and strings from squash.

~ Hollow out vegetables and fruits to fill or stuff.

~ Make mini ice cream and sorbet balls.

~ Use it to scoop out and help shape cookie dough into rounds.

~ Use it to form truffles.

~ Carve out balls from multiple fruits and vegetables.

~ Use it to make artful and creative garnishes.

~ Remove pits from cherries.

Using a melon baller

Using a “melon” as an example ~ sink the melon baller into the flesh of the melon then twist in a circle and scoop out a perfect neat round ball. Apply this method to other fruits, vegetables, and foods.

Choosing a melon baller

It is quite an indispensable kitchen tool well worth acquiring. Look for one that has a solid handle that is sturdy and feels heavy in your hand. Melon ballers come in an assortment of sizes and some are double ended. This little multi-tasking tool is also available with an oval and scalloped scoop like this one.

Here is a bit of trivia. The tiny hole in the scoop is a drainage hole to keep it from clogging.

It is amazing what you can do with one little gadget.

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2 Comments so far

1. Sean on May 13, 2008 Tuesday 5:00 am

   The link to the oval melon baller/Parisian scoop does not seem to be working.

2. Ingrid on May 13, 2008 Tuesday 8:39 am

   Thank you Sean for bringing that to my attention. It is working now.