How to Split an Apple in Half With Your Bare Hands (and a Way to Cheat a Little)
Five years ago I split my first apple in half, inspired by an internet video clip and the courage to think that maybe if I really believed in myself, I could join the ranks of apple splitters. I achieved fame and success (the apple actually broke in my hands) and I have been at this height ever since. Today I return to retell that story and offer an innovation: a way to cheat if your apple splitting isn’t going as well as you hoped.
What does it mean to “split an apple”?
I mean you break it in half like you could cut it with a knife. Right in the middle. Here’s a video of Paul Rudd wowing the internet with this feat. Amazing! What kind of person can do this? Surely no one other than Paul Rudd!
I like to show strength and/or skill. In fact, the only thing I like more is hearing that it may be more accessible than I first thought. (See also: my brief hobbies of bending nails and throwing weights.) So I was intrigued when strength coach Adam Fisher offered a different perspective:
I don’t want to take away from the achievement you get from breaking the apple. This is a feat of strength and not everyone can do it. But many more people can do this than they probably realize. It turns out Adam is right.
I saw his tweet while I was at a conference and there was a giant basket of apples in the lobby so I could try out the apple separating trick ASAP. I’ve watched a few YouTube videos on cutting apples, but ultimately it’s the apple that teaches you.
How to hack this apple
First, if you have small hands, choose a small apple. And make sure the apple is crisp; fresh Honeycrisp will do. (My first attempt was a mid-size Gala, and it was difficult, but I got it done.) Consider removing the stem, not for any mechanical advantage, but just to keep it from poking you while squeezing.
Then:
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Locate the soft, fleshy muscle at the base of your big toe. Insert the tips of the thumbs of both hands into the notch at the top of the apple.
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Squeeze the apple from top to bottom as hard as possible. It may be helpful to press the apple against your knee or other comfortable surface.
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At the same time, spread the apple as if opening a book.
If you have trouble, try a smaller or crunchier apple.
And don’t be upset. I grabbed three Gala apples from the hotel basket and was only able to break one of them. Later, when I got home, I bought a bag of small honey chips and was able to separate them so easily that I made several in a row for my kids and then had them try them. None of them succeeded, but I advised them all to try again next year when they were older. And then suddenly no one wanted to eat the apples, and I stayed here and ate them all alone. Anyway. Try it – you will surprise yourself!
How to make an apple easier to separate (or how to cheat)
Today I sat down with an apple, thinking that my only task was to take a new photo to update this post. But the apple I had on hand—Kanzi—didn’t help. What to do? I could buy several different apples from the store. I could treat this as a strength exercise (which it kind of is) and schedule an apple carving workout for a day when I’m more rested. Or maybe I could just cheat.
From experience, I know that the phenomenon of apple splitting begins with a small, audible crack. You’ll hear a quiet noise as it starts to fall apart, and if you keep pressing, the rest of the apple will suddenly give way.
What if I help this initial schism a little? I didn’t have a knife handy, so I dug my thumbnail into the top of the apple along the line where I expected it to break. I then returned to my efforts at cutting up the apples.
As I predicted, the cracking started almost immediately. My deception didn’t make it easy to split the apple, but it seemed like he had gotten his foot in the door, so to speak. I kept pressing and soon the apple cracked in half, just as I had hoped. A few nail picks would be easy to do without being noticed if you’re doing this trick in front of friends, and honestly, you’re still splitting an apple in half without using any tools other than your bare hands. I hereby believe that this is not such a cheating scam. So go ahead and split the apple, you cheater.