Learning how to cut a pomegranate can be a tricky at first, and might even be a little intimidating. Do not let that stop you from enjoying the little gems found within.
Pomegranate is a sectional fruit, which means the fruit gems are divided into sections also known as or called compartments.
Those sections are both good and bad for us when it comes to eating this fruit. The good part we will discuss later in steps to cutting a pomegranate. The bad part is it can cause the unknown pomegranate first or second timer a lot of heartache.
Follow these easy steps, and you will be an aficionado in no time. Able to de-seed and enjoy the fruit of a pomegranate in under two minutes.
Tools Needed to Cut a Pomegranate:
• Very sharp knife
• Small bowl ½ filled with water for the seeds
• Napkins
Steps to Cut a Pomegranate
1. Find a ready to use, ripe pomegranate. You can tell if the fruit is ripe because the color will be a bright, deep red on the outside skin. Before the fruit is ripe, the skin will be extremely tough, hard, and cannot be scratched. When the fruit is ripe, the outside skin will become soft. If you can use your nail to scratch the skin, and it gives when you squeeze it, it is ready.
2. Wash the pomegranate. Even though you are not eating the outside skin of the fruit, you should still wash it. Pesticides, poisons, and toxins are sprayed and dusted on the fruits to keep bugs off, hold off ripening, and keep disease away. As you cut into the flesh, your knife can bring that outside toxins into the fruit and in contact with the little gems inside.
3. Grab the knife, and make an incision on the top part of the pomegranate. The top part is where the volcano crater is, where the flower blooms from. About ½ inch down from the volcano crater, start your incision. Cut around the fruit top like your are cutting a pumpkin jack-o-lantern. Cut in a circle around the top. You only need to advance the knife about 1 inch in. When using a knife always be very careful.
4. Pry the top volcano crater part off, pulling away from the fruit body. It should come right off and pop off like a lid.
5. As mentioned before, pomegranates are sectional fruits, and this is good to know and exploit. As you look at your pomegranate, you will notice it is not quite round. It is more of a polygon or hexagon shape. The sectional lines mades these little mounts that runs up and down the fruit to give it this polygon or hexagon shape. The sections running under these ridges makes it easy to cut and open the pomegranate. Plus the sections are seen if you look down from the top. They are the white walls.
6. Using the knife cut into the skin, on top of one of the ridge, on one of the sections. Start the cut at the top, and follow the ridge down the outside of the fruit until you get to the bottom. The knife only needs to go about 1 inch in.
7. Follow step 6 for all the ridges (sectional walls) on the fruit.
8. When all the cuts are made, hold the pomegranate with both hands, and the top facing up at you. Gently open up the pomegranate. This is done by slightly pulling the sections apart from each other. Using your thumb and fingers pull a little, and turn the fruit, and pull and turn. The pomegranate will begin to separate and break apart at the white walls (pulp) inside the fruit.
9. Next remove the white pulp in the center of the pomegranate.
10. Turn over the pomegranate and hold it above a medium size bowl half way filled with water, to collect the gems.
11. Using a wooden or metal spoon or spatula, knock out and dislodge all the juice gems inside the shell.
12. Not all the seeds will dislodge easily, so you might have to nurse the seeds out using your hands. This is very easy to do, simply flip the shell over and message some seeds out using your thumbs. They are very easy to knock off and separate.
13. With all the seeds in the water bowl, give the seeds a stir. This will separate any left over white pulp away from the gems. The seeds will sink to thee bottom of the bowl, and the unformed seeds and remaining pulp will float to the top of the water. The pulp tastes bitter, so not having any will make the eating experience better.
14. Time to enjoy your hard work!
It might seem a little hard at first, but once you preform this easy procedure, nothing will stop you. You will be empowered to enjoy this very nutritious and delicious fruit when ever you can get your hands on one.