Not to brag, but I think of myself as a bit of a produce prep expert. Pineapples? No bother. Aubergines? I chop ’em into perfect, tiny cubes every time.
I even look forward to preparing a pomegranate.
Why, then, does the simple mango elude me? I’ve tried the cut-and-cross-hatch method, the “simply tear into it” approach, and an avocado-style, halve-destone-and-slice system.
All have cowed me into sticky submission. In fact, it wasn’t until I saw Levi Root’s appearance on This Morning that I discovered the true path to peeling perfection.
When co-host Ryland asked Levi “With a mango, what’s the best way to peel it?”, the guest replied, “With a beer glass.”
To an incredulous “I’m sorry?”, the Reggae-Reggae sauce creator laughed, “I know!”
He explained that “once you’ve cheeked the mangoes” (removed the sides from the inner pip), you can use the rim of the bowl or glass as a kind of scoop to detach the fruit from the skin.
He demonstrated, pressing the base of the “cheeked” mango side hard against the edge of a glass bowl.
“Leave it out,” Ryland exclaimed as the sun-yellow flesh peeled smoothly away.
Though the bowl did the job, Levi explained that a narrower “beer glass is better.”
That’s likely because its smaller rim curves more accurately along the mango’s skin.
Again, the mango has to be cut first ― BBC Good Food advises we “Slice downwards using a serrated knife to remove one of the cheeks, guiding the knife around the stone in the middle.”
Then, turn the mango around and do the same on the other side. That should “cheek” it.
Commenters had a lot to say about the trick.
“Works with avocado, too” one Instagram user wrote; another said, “WTF... I’ve nearly lost a finger cutting them up.”
“I used this tip today on a mango ― absolutely genius!” yet another app user opined.
I’m with Ryland on this one ― “you’ve changed my life,” he told Levi Roots on the show.
