While pomegranate is super-food and rich in taste, eating this fruit might be tricky. Wondering how to open a pomegranate without any wasted arils? This article is for you.
One of the great challenges that we face eating pomegranates is how to cut and peel the pomegranate to take out the edible seeds without creating any mess. I tried a couple of methods and fortunately, I found a few effective ones that I am going to share with you in this blog post. To open a pomegranate, you just need to cut with a knife the crown and then score the fruit. While taking out the arils, you can either use a spoon and whack the arils out of the fruit or use the underwater method in which the seeds will sink at the bottom and it will be easy to get them. Let’s walk through the whole process step by step.
You might also like to read about: 5 Quick and Interesting Ways to Cut a Mango.
What actually is Pomegranate?
Pomegranate is classified as a berry. Its season is at its peak during winters, starting from late September and lasting throughout the winter. This is a rounded hexagonal-shaped fruit with thick red skin. Inside the skin, there are hundreds of juicy edible arils. The arils are packed with nutrients and low in calories, which makes this fruit a top priority in multiple healthy diets. To open and deseed the pomegranate easily, follow the below-mentioned methods to save you time and effort.
Learn more about: Pomegranate; A significant fruit rich in history and taste
How to open a pomegranate:
Time needed: 5 minutes.
A quick step-by-step guide with pictures explaining two methods for how to open a pomegranate.
METHOD #1
Slice off the ends of the pomegranate:
First, take a sharp knife and cut off the pomegranate’s crown-like top and the stem end.
Score the thick skin of the fruit:
When you remove the crown of the fruit, you will clearly see the hexagonal shape of the fruit. Now you just have to cut along the verticle lines of the fruit’s skin. Make 4-6 cuts, depending upon the size and the exact shape of the fruit. However, the knife should not go too deep to cut the arils and create a mess.
Pop open the pomegranate:
Next, press the central part of the fruit with your thumb and the pomegranate will open up like a gift box, exposing the ruby red, crunchy arils.
Remove the arils from the peel:
Finally, when the pomegranate is wide open, you can see some of the arils are still covered in a white paper-like membrane. You can now remove the membrane from the arils simply just by rubbing them or if you want an even easier step you can use the underwater method. For that, you need a bowl partially filled with water. In water, the arils will sink to the bottom while the membranes and the peel will come to the surface. Drain out and enjoy your delicious pomegranate arils!
Note: If you are going to store your pomegranate arils, then, I don’t recommend the underwater method because wet arils can turn brown very quickly. But don’t worry! I have an even easier method for you to open a pomegranate.
METHOD #2
1. Cut the pomegranate horizontally:
With a sharp knife, cut the pomegranate into two halves horizontally.
2. Strike with a spoon:
Now hold one half of the fruit in your hand above a bowl and start whacking it forcibly with a spoon until all the arils come out of the peel. That’s it!
Note: This method is very simple and time-saving but some of the arils will be destroyed while cutting the pomegranate into two halves and it might be a little messy. But still, it’s worth it, cause at the end of the day, you can get all your frustration out while beating the pomegranate!
Fresh Pomegranate Juice:
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- Pomegranate arils: 2 cups
- Water: 1cup
- Sugar:
- as per taste
- A pinch of salt
Recipe:
- First, open and peel the pomegranate to get the arils, using the above-mentioned methods. Add them to a blender and blend for 10 seconds. Make sure you don’t blend for too long because the seeds inside the arils will crush into the juice.
- Strain the juice into a jar through a strainer. Now again, add the filtered juice into the blender.
- Add a pinch of salt, a small amount of sugar (if needed), and a cup of water. Finally, give it a quick blend and your fresh pomegranate juice is ready to serve.
Note: Pomegranate juice is one of the most refreshing and healthy juices. In fact, research studies show that pomegranate juice has three times more antioxidants than other antioxidant-rich beverages such as green tea and red wine.
Learn about: 8 significant health benefits of pomegranate
Pomegranate Syrup:
Pomegranate juice: 2 cups
Sugar: 1/2 cup
First off, make fresh pomegranate juice following the aforementioned method. Now, when you have 2 cups of pomegranate juice, add 1/2 cup sugar into it and start boiling on medium flame. Keep boiling it until pink bubbles form at the surface and only one cup of juice is left. Let it cool. The juice will transform into a thick syrup. You can store it in a sterilized bottle (kept in boiling water for 10 minutes) in the refrigerator. It can last up to five or six months.
How to preserve pomegranates?
Pomegranates have a limited shelf-life, but they can be stored or preserved in several ways. For instance, when you de-seed a pomegranate you can store the arils for up to a year by freezing them. You just have to arrange the arils on baking paper to freeze them for at least 2 hours, then put them in a container or a bag and store them in the freezer. However, if you want to preserve them only for a short time, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will remain fresh for up to a week. But you have to make sure that the arils are not wet, otherwise, they will turn brown.
Similarly, you can preserve pomegranates in the form of juice or syrup. To make pomegranate juice, try the above-mentioned recipe, then add a small amount of lemon juice to maintain its fresh taste and color. Now preserve it in a sterilized jar keeping it in the freezer and it can last up to six months. In the same way, you can store the pomegranate syrup for 5 – 6 months in the refrigerator.
Quick Recap:
Pomegranate is a luscious fruit. Its ruby red, juicy and crunchy arils are mouth-watering, but extracting them from the peel can be a challenging task. For this, the above-mentioned are the two easiest and time-saving methods to open a pomegranate. Besides, the preservation methods and the pomegranate juice recipe are also explained briefly.
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