Tips

What happens when you stick chopsticks in a watermelon?

A little tip: Stick a chopstick into the watermelon, that's what the ladies are all talking about.

22 February, 2024

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Watermelon is a popular fruit, used by many families for refreshment and nutritional supplementation, especially in the summer. Women can demonstrate their homemaking skills when choosing and preparing watermelon.

Therefore, on social media, women constantly spread tips to insert a chopstick into the watermelon before cutting it. So why do we have to insert a chopstick into the watermelon, and what is the purpose of this action?

Watermelon is a beloved fruit by many people.

As we know, watermelon is a very watery fruit, especially for ripe, juicy watermelons. This increases the pressure inside the fruit, and even a slight impact can cause them to crack and break apart.

That is why, when cutting a watermelon, especially ripe and juicy ones, they are prone to cracking and breaking. This will make our watermelon plate less attractive. Therefore, to cut a beautiful watermelon, we need to reduce the pressure inside the fruit before cutting.

Inserting a chopstick into the watermelon is a way to release the pressure inside, preventing it from cracking during the cutting process. Thanks to this, the watermelon plate will look much more appealing.

Inserting a chopstick into the watermelon’s belly button helps reduce the internal pressure.

The process of implementing this small tip is quite simple, just use the pointed end of a chopstick and insert it about 10cm deep into the hollow part of the watermelon’s belly button, then remove it immediately.

As we can see, just one small tip can elevate our homemaking skills, bring joy to ourselves and those around us.

According to VTC News

Frequently asked questions

When you stick chopsticks into a watermelon, a physical reaction occurs where the fruit’s flesh contracts and tightens around the chopsticks. This is due to the pressure exerted by the sticks, which causes the watermelon’s cell walls to collapse and its flesh to firm up.

The pressure exerted by the chopsticks triggers a chemical reaction in the watermelon, causing its cell walls to break down and release ammonia. This ammonia then reacts with the air to form ammonium salts, which act as a natural adhesive, causing the watermelon to grip the chopsticks tightly.

Absolutely! Sticking chopsticks into a watermelon can be a fun party trick to showcase to your friends and family. It’s a unique and surprising phenomenon that will definitely leave an impression.

Yes, there are a few other fruits and vegetables that exhibit similar reactions when punctured with sharp objects. For example, kiwis and potatoes also undergo cell wall collapse and firming of their flesh when pierced, although the mechanism might differ slightly from watermelons.

The ripeness of the watermelon plays a crucial role in the success of this trick. A ripe watermelon with softer flesh will react more dramatically to the inserted chopsticks. Additionally, the pressure exerted by the chopsticks and the angle at which they are inserted can also impact the results.