[Explanation with photos! 】 How to freeze watermelon, storage period, and 5 recipes

Did you know that watermelon can be frozen?

Watermelons are a summer tradition and seem to have nothing to do with freezing, but they can actually be frozen.

It's rare to find yourself in a situation where you have a lot of watermelon at home, but freezing is very useful when you have received more watermelon than your family can eat.

In this article, in addition to specific methods for freezing watermelon, we also introduce how to easily remove the seeds and recipes for making frozen watermelon delicious.

If you think ``I have watermelon at home!'', please read on as there is definitely useful information for you.

Trivia about watermelon

Lasts longer at room temperature than in the refrigerator

[In case of 1 whole piece]
"Should watermelon be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator?"

If you've ever received a whole watermelon, you've probably thought this way. In conclusion, if it's a whole piece, it's best to store it at room temperature.

Originally, watermelon is a food that grows under high temperature and dry conditions, so it dislikes low temperatures. It is said that the most delicious temperature is around 9 degrees.

However, the refrigerator compartment of a typical refrigerator is set at 3 to 6 degrees, and the vegetable compartment is set at 3 to 8 degrees. If this happens, the watermelon will not be able to withstand the cold, and its deliciousness will be lost while it is refrigerated.

Therefore, if you receive a whole watermelon, it is best to store it at room temperature.

However, the ripeness of the watermelon will depend on its ripeness, so don't leave it out for too long.

[If cut]

Also, the cut watermelon is not as shown above.

Once cut, the surface is exposed to air and deteriorates rapidly. Therefore, in this case, store it in the refrigerator or use the freezing method introduced later in the article.

If you have enough left over to eat, you can refrigerate it, and if you have more than you can eat, you can freeze it for a long time.

How to easily remove seeds from watermelon

You can easily remove the seeds from a watermelon depending on how you cut it, so I'll show you how.

1. Cut the watermelon in half, perpendicular to the stripes.
2. With the cut side facing up, insert the knife from just above the seeds and cut into 12 equal parts (the watermelon in the photo was small, so I cut it into 6 equal parts).

3. The seeds will be lined up on the cut surface, so scoop them out with a spoon.

The flow will be like this.

In fact, watermelon seeds are arranged in a certain way. This has something to do with the watermelon's organs called vascular bundles, and the seeds are arranged along the vascular bundles.

By cutting perpendicular to the striped pattern, you can see the lines of the vascular bundles. Furthermore, if you cut it into 12 equal pieces, you can easily cut through the rows of seeds.

Freezing storage method

Watermelon is a food that can be stored at room temperature.
・When you cut it
・When at the peak of ripening

is suitable for frozen storage. In particular, there have been reports of watermelons that have reached the peak of ripeness causing gas to accumulate inside them and explode, so it is a good idea to freeze what you can't eat after cutting it.

Cut into bite-sized pieces and freeze

1. Cut the watermelon into appropriate sizes.
2. Place in Tupperware and freeze.

[Key points to freeze more deliciously]
We recommend rapid freezing using a metal tray.

Arrange the cut watermelons on a metal tray lined with plastic wrap, as shown in the image below. Just cover it with another layer of plastic wrap and freeze it.

Once completely frozen, transfer to Tupperware and freeze.

Thawing method and storage period

How to thaw watermelon

We recommend using frozen watermelon while it is still frozen.

A watermelon's body is made up of 90% water. Therefore, once frozen, the water expands and destroys the cells inside. If the food is thawed when the cells are destroyed, water will escape from the cells and the texture will also be lost.

Therefore, when using frozen watermelon, it is best to handle it while it is still frozen.

Watermelon storage period

Please use frozen watermelon within 2 to 3 weeks.

Delicious ways to eat frozen watermelon

Shimashima style jelly

☑材料（6人分）
・冷凍スイカ　700cc（液状で）
・ゼラチン　13g
・砂糖　大さじ1~2
◆牛乳　100cc
◆ゼラチン　2g
◆砂糖　大さじ1
●水　200cc
●カキ氷用シロップ（緑）　大さじ3
●ゼラチン　5g

<How to make>
1) Heat the ● ingredients and dissolve the gelatin without letting it boil.
2) Once the gelatin has melted, remove from heat and pour into a container to cool.
3) Heat the ingredients ◆ to melt the gelatin, then remove from the heat and pour into a container.
4) Place frozen watermelon in a blender and make 700cc of liquid.
5) Add sugar and gelatin, heat until gelatin melts, remove from heat and pour into a container.
6) Finally, decorate the top with the remaining frozen watermelon and it's done.

easy coconut dessert

☑材料（4人分）
・冷凍スイカ　360g
・白桃　50g
・みかん　50g
・ナタデココ　60g
●牛乳　150cc
●ココナッツミルク　150cc
●砂糖　大さじ1~2程度
・ミント　好みで

<How to make>
1) Mix the ● ingredients and cool.
2) Cut the frozen watermelon and white peach into bite-sized pieces.
3) Arrange the mandarin oranges, nata de coco, and (2) in a bowl.
4) Finally, pour over the chilled (1) and garnish with mint to complete.

banana and yogurt smoothie

☑材料（2人分）
・冷凍スイカ　200g
・冷凍バナナ　1本
・無糖ヨーグルト　100g

<How to make>
1) Cut the frozen banana into appropriate sizes.
2) Put all the ingredients in a mixer and mix until smooth.
★You can also use sugar or sweetened yogurt if you like.

Yogurt massage sorbet

This recipe requires a step before freezing the watermelon.

☑材料（2人分）
・冷凍スイカ　150g
・無糖ヨーグルト　100g
・砂糖　大さじ1.5

<How to make>

1) Remove the seeds from the watermelon and cut into 1-1.5cm pieces.
2) Put all the ingredients into a freezer bag, mash them with your hands, and freeze.
3) After freezing for about 2 to 5 hours, knead with your hands again and it's done.

★For (2), you don't have to completely crush the watermelon.
★If the freezing time is too long, thaw until it reaches the right consistency.

easy fruit punch

☑材料（4人分）
・冷凍スイカ他　400g
・サイダー　500cc
・ミント　お好みで

<How to make>
0) In addition to frozen watermelon, prepare several kinds of pineapple for added color.
1) Cut frozen watermelon or other fruit into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl.
2) Pour cider over the top and garnish with mint to complete.

★For fruits other than watermelon, if you use frozen fruits, you can leave them as is, or if they are at room temperature, you can chill them in the refrigerator before serving to enjoy the cooling sensation.

Conclusion

How do you freeze watermelon?

If you follow the vertical + 12 equal division rule, you can easily remove the seeds.

The freezing method itself is very simple; all you have to do is cut it into bite-sized pieces and freeze it.

It has a shelf life of 2 to 3 weeks and is best eaten frozen without thawing.

Frozen watermelon is also great for making cool sweets like smoothies and gelato. Please give it a try if you can get your hands on watermelon.