Peeling a pomegranate is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. There are several ways to do this with minimal loss of juice. You can divide the fruit into shares or get only the grains. The decoration of any table will be a whole fruit, completely without peel.
Beautifully sliced pomegranate for the holiday table
Features of cleaning pomegranate
The edible part of the fruit is the seeds inside. They are protected by a hard shell, which is quite difficult to remove without a knife. If you press hard on the surface, the grains burst and juice flows out. Spraying leaves stains that are difficult to remove on clothing.
To peel the fruit you will need:
- sharp knife;
- container for seeds;
- a spoon or any blunt object, such as a rolling pin or a meat hammer.
Methods for peeling fruit depend on the desired end result. The fruit can be cut into slices, peeled completely whole, or the grains collected in a container. Before peeling, here are a few tips to follow:
- The surface is washed and wiped with a clean cloth.
- Lightly tap the peel with a spoon; the movements should not be intense so as not to damage the internal contents.
- Roll the fruit on a flat surface, pressing lightly; this method is suitable for collecting seeds.
Important! Fruits must be ripe and of good quality.
Wear gloves when working, as the juice stains the skin. A kitchen apron is used to protect clothing. Avoid getting juice on walls with a water-based coating; the stains will be difficult to get rid of.
Dried pomegranate is easier to peel without a knife
The above methods prove that this fruit cannot be peeled without a knife. The pomegranate peel is dense and fits well to the grains underneath. However, dried pomegranate has a more brittle peel. You will still need sharp objects, but you can do without a knife. For example, for such an operation a clean, sharp key from an ordinary door will be sufficient.
For convenience, you can make longitudinal cuts on the peel.
You can even use an ordinary rod to get under the peel. Then, you can widen the recess with your fingers. In a dried fruit, the skin will come off easily, because in a ripe pomegranate the skin and the white wrapper around the grains no longer adhere tightly to the grains as much of the delicious fruit. If you decide to eat pomegranate at a barbecue, you can make a small indentation with a skewer.
Take a bowl, turn the pomegranate over it and tap it with a wooden spatula to release all the seeds.
Important! You must be careful while deepening. The recess should be exactly up to the grains so as not to damage them.
The lack of any available tools is not an obstacle to eating pomegranate. Even an ordinary tablespoon can easily replace sharp objects, especially when peeling dried fruit.
How to quickly and without splashing peel a pomegranate
The incised upper part is carefully removed; it may rise completely or will have to be removed in parts, it depends on the depth of the incision.
Important! In this case, you must not damage the flesh.
There are 3 ways to peel fruit without splashing. When the top part is removed, the white thin partitions will be clearly defined. Along the outer side along these fragments, an incision is made to the same depth as near the receptacle and carefully opened, the grains are taken out with your fingers.
Another way to peel the fruit without splashing: make a cut in a circle, and after removing the top, divide it into two parts. Then turn it over with the cut side facing the plate and tap the surface with a spoon until all the grains are in the container. The impact method is the fastest and most effective.
After removing the crown, longitudinal incisions are made. To clean the fruit without splashing, lower it into a bowl of water and begin to take it apart under water. The peel is removed immediately. The film is removed from the slices and the grains are poured out; they are more dense and will settle to the bottom. Fragments of partitions and film will float to the surface. The water is carefully drained. The remaining debris is removed from the grains. If the grains are accidentally damaged under water, splashing of juice is completely eliminated, but the method will take a little longer.
The main thing is not to go beyond the partitions when cutting into shares
First step
First, wash the fruit with warm water. Keep in mind that most suppliers treat it with a special compound containing paraffin. This is done in order to extend the shelf life of the pomegranate.
The fact is that cold water does not wash away the paraffin layer, so the composition gets on your hands and on the pomegranate seeds. To prevent this from happening, use warm or hot water.
After washing, gently pat the fruit dry with a towel, but do not squeeze it with your hands. Remember that there is a lot of juice inside it.
How to easily peel a pomegranate
You can peel the fruit so that it is whole, round and completely without peel:
- A circular cut is made around the crown.
- They retreat a few centimeters, make another similar cut in a circle, and so on to the bottom.
- Vertical stripes are applied using the same principle.
- Pour water into the container and lower the prepared fruit for a couple of hours.
- During this time, the peel will swell and move away from the grains at the site of the cuts; it will be removed in fragments.
Important! When working, try not to squeeze the lobes.
After removing the surface, you will get a bright and beautiful fruit with whole grains.
Cleaning pomegranate beautifully
If you want to surprise your guests and beautifully serve pomegranate on the table, use the following instructions:
- Wash and dry the fruit well. Make sure that the surface of the peel is completely dry - otherwise it will be difficult to remove.
- Cut off the top part - the crown. You need to make a perfectly round cut. Be careful not to damage the grains inside the core.
- Alternately make about 6 cuts on all sides of the fruit. As a result, the peel should take the shape of petals.
- Using a sharp knife, make a circular cut in the middle.
- Remove the resulting petals. They separate exactly up to half of the pomegranate.
- Lightly press down the middle to remove any membrane remaining at the top of the fruit.
There is also a second method of figure-cleaning the fruit. The only difference is that the formed petals are turned in the opposite direction (without grains). As a result, the pomegranate will resemble a flower, the petals of which will be pomegranate peel, and the core will be red grains.
How to properly peel a pomegranate without a knife
It is not always possible to use sharp kitchen tools. You can open the fruit without a knife. Several recommendations for cleaning pomegranate without additional equipment:
- Dip the fruit in water for several hours; the peel will show that it has become softer.
- Work begins with the receptacle, removing sharp ends and dry areas inside.
- Press down in the center of the crown to make a hole.
- Lower one finger and make the passage wider in a circular motion.
- After this, the finger of the second hand will fit, they are dipped into the pomegranate and broken in half.
- Divide into shares and extract the grains.
It is unlikely that you will be able to peel a pomegranate in this way without leaking juice.
Rules for peeling pomegranates without much effort
There is another way to peel a pomegranate. I advise you to try both methods.
Your actions:
1. Take a ripe fruit and make a cut in the peel in the middle along its entire circumference.
2. Take both fruits with both hands and roll them along the cut. The pomegranate will quickly break into two halves.
3. Hold one half between your palms and break it apart. Do this around the entire circumference so that the grains are separated from the partitions.
4. After this, place this half of the grains to your fingers and hit the peel with a spoon. The grains will separate from the skins and fall into the container.
5. As a result, the peel will quickly separate from the grains.
6. Remove parts of the partitions from the grains in the container so that they are clean.
And this method also does not create juice splashes and you will not get dirty.
How to easily peel a pomegranate in 6 movements
Externally, the garnet looks inaccessible, well protected by the shell, but it can be quickly cleaned in just a few movements:
- An incision is made around the crown and a fragment is removed.
- Then 3 cuts along the length of the partitions in several places.
- Insert a knife into the central part of the fruit in the place where the receptacle was, and turn it, the lobules will move.
- Use your fingers to open a pomegranate.
Together with three cuts on the surface, it turned out that the pomegranate was opened in six movements.
What will help in cleaning pomegranate
In most cases, you only need your hands to easily peel a pomegranate. Using a knife, you can make cuts that will help divide the fruit into slices. This will significantly speed up the cleaning process.
Next, you will need to extract the grains from the pomegranate with your fingers.
There are special machines for cleaning pomegranates. They greatly simplify and speed up the process. Special devices make the cleaning process clean.
In the end, all that remains is to wash the components of such a machine.
Anyone can easily select and purchase all the necessary tools. However, the most common ones are a knife, spoon or masher.
How to quickly peel a pomegranate in 30 seconds
This problem rarely occurs at home; cleaning pomegranates quickly and correctly is necessary in restaurants or at large events where time is limited.
Tip on how to peel a fruit in 30 seconds:
- The fruit is washed and wiped with a napkin.
- Roll quickly from all sides, pressing lightly on the surface.
- Place on a cutting board and make a circular cut in the center.
- Use your fingers to push the cut apart and break the fruit into 2 parts.
- Each half is slightly bent upward until a characteristic crackling sound occurs.
- Place half cut side down on your palm, your hand should be above the bowl.
- Give a few light blows to the surface, remove your hand, and the seeds will end up in the bowl.
- Turn out the peel and shake out the remains.
Movements should be light, without unnecessary pressure.
How to choose ripe and juicy fruit?
Please note the following when purchasing:
- the surface must be smooth, without flaws and dark spots;
- if there are tubercles on the surface, this means the fruit is sweet;
- heavier fruit is ripe;
- look at the crown - if it is green, this indicates that the pomegranate is not ripe.
Use one of the methods described to quickly peel a pomegranate. This process will take a little time, but the result will please you and your family.
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How to properly cut a pomegranate and remove the grains
To get the grains there is no need to remove the peel completely, just cut the pomegranate correctly:
- Place clean and dry fruit on a flat surface.
- Cut upwards so that the grains are not visible.
Work starts from the top - Along the length of the partitions, make 4 shallow cuts on top of the peel, cutting through it completely.
- In the center of the crown, insert a knife and turn it.
- The parts are separated by hand; the peel will easily separate into the slices.
Each lobe is turned over the cup in turn, the shell is thrown away, the film and any trapped partitions are removed.
How to cut a pomegranate into wedges
The sequence of correctly dividing the fruit into shares:
- Using a sharp knife with a thin blade, make an incision along the area (rib) protruding on the surface; this is the location of the partitions, even if the incision is deep, the grains will remain intact.
- In the area of the crown, the fruit is divided into two parts; a white area will be visible on top; it is cut out without touching the seed films.
- When the locations of the partitions are clearly defined, the cut begins strictly along them (from top to bottom). The fruit will open completely.
- If the goal is to clean completely, preserving the grains, parts of the grains along with the film are separated from the surface.
How to cut a pomegranate beautifully
You can cut a pomegranate beautifully as a decoration on a holiday table, to do it correctly:
- Cut the top part in a circle and remove.
- Remove white fragments from the surface.
- Insert a knife in the center and turn it.
- At the places of the partitions, cuts are made to the middle.
- The fruit is opened.
The ends of the improvised petals in the area of the peel are rounded or, on the contrary, sharpened; here the flight of imagination is unlimited. You can make a thematic design on the surface of each fragment, for example a snowflake or a star for the New Year's table. The surface is moistened with water and sprinkled with powdered sugar along the contour. All partitions inside are removed so that there are no white areas.