Pomegranate is a fruit that has a sweet and sour taste. The berry is dark red or burgundy in color with a hard skin. Inside it are seeds that are separated from each other by translucent membranes. The seeds are edible and teardrop-shaped, dark red and transparent. Before learning how to peel a pomegranate, it is important to carry out the processing procedure. It includes washing with warm water and drying.
The grains of the fruit are eaten. Depending on the size, the number of grains changes. In a small fruit there are about 700 of them, in a large one - from 1000 or even more. Botanical studies of this fruit, which is actually a berry, helped us find out how many grains pomegranates have. In botany it has the name “pomegranate”. But in everyday life they are mistaken for ripe fruits.
Pomegranate trees grow in tropical and subtropical climates. It is grown in Western Asia and Southern Europe. In Russia, the habitat of this tree fell on the Black Sea coast in the Krasnodar Territory.
The fruits of the tree contain useful minerals. Therefore, they are eaten in cases of low blood pressure and anemia. Pomegranate juice also has medicinal properties.
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 properly eat peeled fruit?
The peeled fruit should be consumed correctly . This way you can be sure that the maximum amount of useful substances will enter your body. You need to remember that it is best to eat fresh pomegranate. This is a little difficult without proper cleaning, because the fruit contains about 1000 grains with pits. The seeds contain a large number of useful components that the body needs.
It is important to remember the rule - the bones must be chewed. Only then will they become a source of nutrients. Some seeds may be very hard, in which case they need to be set aside. Pomegranate seeds can be added to salads, main courses and smoothies.
Another option is to use pomegranate juice. It can be obtained using a citrus juicer. First you need to cut the fruit into 2 halves.
If you don’t have a juicer, you should use a tablespoon - put the grains in a sieve and mash. It is recommended to drink the juice fresh and add it to sauces.
General recommendations
First, let's look at a few general recommendations for properly peeling a pomegranate:
- The knife blade should be as sharp as possible. Use it to cut off the top of the fruit. You should have a fruit in your hands with berries and clearly visible white membranes;
- You need to make a neat cut along the membranes, cutting through only the pomegranate peel and not catching the seeds. This way you divide the fruit into slices;
- Hold the pomegranate with one hand and press down on one of the slices with the other. If you did everything correctly before, the slice with grains will easily come off;
- Repeat the previous step with the remaining slices.
Step by step peel removal
In order to peel this capricious fruit, you need to prepare:
- sharp knife;
- soup plate;
- ladle;
- latex gloves.
Stage 1.
Wash the pomegranate thoroughly with warm water and dry with a kitchen towel.
Stage 2.
We put on gloves, take the knife in our hands and carefully cut off the top of the fruit. It is necessary to cut off only the very top of it so as not to touch the grains. We make the cut even and neat. Rubber gloves are needed to avoid staining your skin the color of juice. It is quite persistent and you will have to spend time washing it off your hands.
Stage 3.
The white pomegranate film is picked out down to the grains. The lower part is cut off.
Stage 4.
Use a knife to cut the pomegranate in half. The knife should not go in to its full depth in order to cut only the peel. This and the next steps are done over a plate.
Stage 5.
Then you need to push the cut parts apart with your fingers, and the grains themselves will fall down.
Stage 6.
If not all the grains have fallen out, then you need to take the cup and put it in the sink. Turn the pomegranate skin side up. Holding it with one hand, take a ladle with the other and knock on the thick peel until all the grains spill out.
Selecting grains
And now we’ll tell you how to peel a pomegranate if you don’t need slices, but the seeds themselves! You will get the “filling” of the fruit without losing the healthy juice!
Here's what to do:
- Take a cutting board, a sharp knife and a bowl for the grains.
- Place the washed fruit on a cutting board and cut off the top with a knife.
- Make four shallow cuts on the peel so that you get equal-sized slices.
- Take the fruit in your hands, press on it (preferably in the center) and divide into four pieces.
- Carefully “turn out” the resulting slices - the grains will begin to separate from the peel themselves.
- Place the grains in the prepared bowl.
Peel delicious fruit without any effort
Another method that will allow you to peel a pomegranate without much effort is the impact method. All you need is a dumpling maker, a silicone baking dish, a knife and a deep bowl. And the execution technique will be as follows:
- wash pomegranate in warm water;
- carefully cut in half;
- An empty bowl is placed on the table, and a dumpling maker is placed on it;
- the fruit is placed on it, grains down;
- cover the fruit with a mold and hit it with a kitchen hammer;
- the grains will all fall out on their own.
This method is suitable for those who do not want to bother cutting it into pieces and pulling out grains at a time. This method will allow all the beans to end up in the cup at once.
How to cut a pomegranate correctly: the video will clearly show the whole process.
Clean a pomegranate in 30 seconds!
Here's another life hack that will teach you how to peel a pomegranate in just 30 seconds! Watch our video instructions and you can carefully remove the aromatic grains from the sweet fruit.
By the way, if you want to achieve a great result, then buy only ripe fruits, and not those that were picked green from the tree.
Choosing a ripe pomegranate is very simple - its skin should be dry and thin. Through such a peel, the shape of the grains is easily guessed.
https://youtu.be/9YF3nul-dEo
Special cleaning methods
Pomegranate is a juicy berry with a lot of grains.
Each grain contains a seed and a lot of pomegranate juice. If you clean the fruit inappropriately, the juice will splash out. As a result, the entire surrounding area and hands may become dirty. To avoid such manifestations and preserve the beneficial contents of the grains as much as possible, there are methods for cleaning pomegranates.
The technology of the methods is slightly different, each option has its own advantages and disadvantages . But, if there is a need to peel a ripe pomegranate, you can choose the appropriate one and use it.
Important ! For cleaning you need to take ripe fruits. Before the procedure, be sure to wash and dry them.
Cleaning pomegranate without splashing
And now we will teach you how to peel a capricious fruit without splashing. It turns out that in order to avoid nasty stains on the walls, on clothes and on yourself, you need to carry out all manipulations in water!
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Wash the fruit and pat dry with a towel.
- Take a sharp knife and carefully make cuts on the skin, but try not to catch the grains so as not to lose the juice.
- Take a bowl, pour water into it and place the fruit in it.
- Leave the pomegranate in the water for 10 or 15 minutes. This step is optional, but it is better to do it this way, since the water-soaked fruit will be much easier to clean.
- Immerse your hands in the liquid and begin to separate the pomegranate into pieces right in the water. Try to do this as carefully as possible. You should get separate slices - right in a bowl of water.
- Peel the slices from the film and release the grains.
- Do not remove the pomegranate ingredients from the water. Let it all sit in the liquid for another couple of minutes.
- All debris (film and skin) will float to the surface of the water, and the pomegranate seeds will sink to the bottom. Remove any debris, drain the water and transfer the grains to a plate. That's all!
A way to get rid of fruit peels for the laziest
The fastest way for the lazy and those who don’t want to force themselves to bother with peeling the fruit is to peel it with your hands. There is no need to look for special sharp knives in the kitchen. However, the juice of this fruit can end up everywhere: in your hands, on the table, on the chair. Therefore, it is best to do these manipulations in the kitchen, after putting on an apron.
The essence of this method is this:
- The pomegranate is washed in running water and dried thoroughly. This is a mandatory action, since many pathogenic bacteria can get into it on the market.
- Then the top is cut off with a knife.
- Using your hands, break the fruit into two parts, and the halves into several more parts.
But this fruit is very juicy, if, of course, it is ripe, and no matter how carefully you try to cut it into halves, the juice can still splash and stain the walls or floor. There is another way by which you can remove the peel so that not a single drop and not a single grain escapes from it. Let’s look in detail at how to properly peel a pomegranate: quickly and effortlessly!
How to easily peel a pomegranate if it's dried out
If your fruit has been sitting a little longer than planned and has dried out a little, this is not a problem. Don't rush to throw away the treat.
Now we will tell you how to clean dried pomegranate. This is also very easy to do!
Step-by-step instruction:
- Wash the fruits and pat dry with a napkin or towel.
- Take a sharp knife, a tablespoon and a grain bowl.
- Cut the fruit using any of the methods described above.
- Next, you need to divide the pomegranate into parts and carefully separate the seeds from it - to do this, bring the fruit to a bowl and tap the peel with a tablespoon. Continue to do this until the grains begin to separate from the skin on their own. By the way, some of them will come with film - don’t worry, you’re doing everything right.
- Repeat the procedure with all the slices, and then simply remove the white film that ends up in the bowl.
Enjoy the delicacy!
Pomegranate dishes
Appetizers that include pomegranate will decorate the holiday table, no matter for what occasion it is served: on the occasion of a birthday, New Year, March 8 or other celebration.
In Georgia, for Christmas they always prepare chicken satsivi, one of the main ingredients of which is pomegranate.
The Pomegranate Bracelet salad looks expensive and elegant, the recipe for which we will present below. There are several options for preparing it, we chose smoked chicken.
Much less known is the “Star of the East” salad, which is also prepared from pomegranate seeds. It is served in portions. The taste is not inferior to its more famous rival and is much more useful.
“Pomegranate bracelet” with smoked chicken
What do you need:
- chicken breast (smoked) – 0.2 kg;
- pomegranate – 1 pc.;
- potatoes, beets, carrots - 1-2 pcs. depending on size;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- walnuts – 50 g;
- eggs – 2 pcs.;
- oil – 20 ml;
- mayonnaise - how much it will take (usually 1 small packet).
How to cook:
- Boil vegetables (except onions) and eggs.
- Cut the onion into cubes and fry.
- Cut the chicken, mix with onions.
- Cool the vegetables and peel them. Cut into cubes or coarsely grate.
- Grind the peeled eggs on a grater.
- Place a glass or wine glass in the center of a large flat dish, place potatoes around it, brush with mayonnaise.
- Cover the potatoes with carrots and pour mayonnaise.
- Place eggs and beets in the next layers, also brushing them with sauce. Mix eggs with finely chopped nuts (some people make the snack without them.
- Separate the pomegranate seeds and distribute them over the surface of the salad.
- Remove the glass.
Appetizers from boiled meat and chicken fillet are prepared in a similar way.
How to cut a pomegranate beautifully and easily
Now we will show you an easy way to cut fruit beautifully. This life hack is indispensable on the eve of the holidays, especially if you dream of a beautiful holiday table that will surprise your guests.
So, we make a flower from a pomegranate that can be used to decorate a fruit bowl or an exotic salad.
The sequence of actions is as follows:
1. Wash and dry the pomegranates. A prerequisite is thorough drying of the fruit. If liquid remains on the peel, you will not be able to properly peel the fruit.
2. Remove the crown (top) using a sharp knife.
3. Use a knife to make a round hole in the center of the pomegranate. Try not to damage the inside.
4. Next, you need to make several very careful cuts on the peel of the fruit. Ideally, they should be the same distance from each other. You will receive slices that look like flower petals.
5. Re-cut the skin of the fruit right down the middle of the pomegranate.
6. Pry up each petal with a knife and remove it. If you did everything correctly, then your petals will be removed only to the middle of the fruit, and the other part will remain in the skin.
7. Gently press on the middle of the fruit and free its upper part from the white film. The flower is ready!
What happens if you eat pomegranate with seeds?
Many people are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to eat pomegranate seeds along with seeds. After all, it is in this form that they end up in salads and other dishes. The answer to this question is ambiguous.
On the one hand, pomegranate seeds are useful and cannot harm a person whose intestines work like clockwork. Even if he eats the whole fruit along with the seeds, nothing unusual will happen to him.
On the other hand, grains are not digested too easily, and with a number of digestive system disorders, their use can result in a serious problem: pain, heaviness in the abdomen, inflammation, constipation.
The conclusion is obvious: you can eat pomegranate seeds along with them, but in moderation, especially if there are disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. A small amount of pomegranate in a salad will not harm anyone, even if you eat the whole grain.
How to choose a ripe pomegranate
You probably want to know how to choose the right ripe, sweet and juicy fruit. Green, damaged, and overripe fruits are not suitable for us.
What to look for when choosing a pomegranate:
1. The skin of the fruit should not have any spots. It should be moderately dry and homogeneous. And if you notice that the fruits are covered with brown spots or have damp areas, then you should refrain from buying them, since the pomegranate has most likely begun to rot.
2. Any lumpiness on the peel of the fruit indicates that the pomegranate is sweet. But a perfectly flat surface signals that the fruits were picked too early. Most likely they will be sour.
3. Pay attention to the weight of the fruit. Ripe, aromatic and sweet pomegranates will be much heavier than those picked ahead of schedule. To check this, just pick up two fruits and compare their weight. Choose the one that is heavier.
4. Always look carefully at the “crown” of the fruit. If you notice a green tint or green shoots on it, do not buy a pomegranate. This suggests that he is still quite green, and he was placed in artificial conditions to mature.
Finally, we have one more video life hack for you!
We hope that our lifehacks were useful and you turned into a real pomegranate peeling pro!
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Selection rules
Experts say: fresh and ripe fruit is easy to cut and peel, which cannot be said about green or dry, rotten fruit. Choosing the right fruit is the key to your success.
Do not choose a fruit whose “crown” is green - it was picked unripe.
This is also evidenced by the overly smooth skin.
Crimson and brown spots are signs of wilting; such fruit is spoiled.
The best choice would be a garnet that is slightly rough to the touch and has an even, rich shade.
A ripe pomegranate is almost always heavier than an unripe one - this is also worth paying attention to when purchasing.
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.
Cleaning the dumpling mold
The method may seem strange, but it is not without logic. After all, despite the fact that the steps are the same as in the method with a spoon, here the grains will not fly apart, but will immediately fall into the bowl. Divide the pomegranate into two equal parts with a knife. Place the mold for making dumplings over a container, preferably the same shape as the dumpling maker. Place the halves cut side down on the dumpling pan. Use a mallet or spoon to gently tap the crust. The berries will be separated from the pulp and immediately poured into a cup.
Good to know! A dry amniotic leg-crown and a rough crust to the touch indicate the ripeness of the fetus.
Vertical cuts
Everything can be done quickly and easily. You will need a sharp knife with a narrow blade. At the top of the fruit, step back about 1 cm from the stalk, cut only the skin in a circle, being careful not to disturb the juicy grains. Remove the trimmed top like a hat. If done correctly, not a single seed will be harmed. Next, make vertical slits in the skin along the white veins from top to bottom. Then insert the knife into the middle of the pomegranate and turn it smoothly. The fruit will open into slices with a characteristic crunch. The grains will remain intact. Carefully remove excess veins. In this form you can serve it on the table.
Important! We trim the peel carefully, feeling where the grains begin and trying not to touch them with a knife. The knife only cuts the crust.
Subtleties of cleaning pomegranate
Difficulties in peeling a fragrant and juicy fruit are not yet a reason to refuse a tasty and healthy delicacy.
There are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when cleaning pomegranates:
- If you're just learning how to peel ripe fruit, it's best to do it in the kitchen sink - this will protect the table, walls and other surfaces from splashes.
- For peeling, use the sharpest knife possible, as it is very difficult to peel the skin with a dull blade.
- When cutting out the fruit top, try to keep the tip of the knife at an angle - this will ensure easy sliding. The cut out center of the pomegranate should resemble a triangle in appearance.
- In order to open a pomegranate like a flower bud, you need to make at least 5-6 longitudinal cuts along the peel, otherwise it will not open.
- The white membranes inside the fruit must be removed immediately - they quickly harden and dry out, making it difficult to clean the fruit.
- If you do stain the surface of the kitchen table, parquet floor or other surfaces with pomegranate juice, wipe them with a sponge dipped in freshly squeezed lemon juice or a solution of table vinegar and water. There will be no trace of contamination left.
There are many interesting methods on how to easily and quickly peel a pomegranate - a video on the World Wide Web will help you choose the simplest and most suitable method.
