How to Split an Apple in Half With Bare Hands
The other day, Paul Rudd hit Twitter with a video in which he cut an apple in half with his bare hands. Amazing! What kind of person can do this? Of course, no one but Paul Rudd!
But then Adam Fischer presented a different point of view:
I do not mean to play down the importance of opening the apple. This is a feat of strength, and not everyone can do it. But many more people can do it than they probably suspect. Turns out Adam is right.
I saw his tweet when I was at a conference this weekend, and there was a huge basket of apples in the lobby, so I could try out the apple splitting trick as soon as possible. (I mention this not only for intrigue and narration, but also to explain why I was so smartly dressed in the initial blurry video I posted on social media .) I watched a few YouTube videos about sharing apples, but it was ultimately an apple. it teaches you.
How to break this apple
First, if you have small hands, choose a small apple. And make sure the apple is crunchy; fresh Honeycrisp will work well. (My first try was a medium sized Gala, it was stiff but I got it.) Consider removing the stem, but not for mechanical advantage, just so it doesn’t poke you when you squeeze.
Later:
- Find the soft, fleshy muscle at the base of your thumb. Slide the thumb meat of both hands into the groove at the top of the apple.
- Squeeze the apple from top to bottom as tight as possible. You can press the apple against your knee or other comfortable surface.
- At the same time, move the apple apart, as if opening a book.
If you have problems, try a smaller or crunchier apple.
And don’t be discouraged. I grabbed three Gal apples from the basket at the hotel and could only crack one of them. Later, when I got home, I bought a bag of little honey chips and was able to separate them so easily that I made several in a row for my kids and then told them to try. None of them succeeded, but I told them all to try again next year when they get a little bigger. Then, all of a sudden, no one wanted to eat the apples, so I eat them all alone. Anyway. Try it – you can surprise yourself!