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They may be a lot of work to retrieve, but once you taste a few tangy and crunchy pomegranate seeds, you'll be hooked. How to eat a pomegranate provides tips on selecting the fruit, as well as freeing the edible seeds (also known as arils) with minimal effort or mess. You'll also find an assortment of recipes that feature the juicy morsels or the tart pomegranate juice.
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Pomegranate Tips
- Choose pomegranates that are deep pink, large and heavy to ensure they're ripe and juicy.
- Store pomegranates for two weeks in a cool dry place or in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- Seeds and juice can be frozen for up to six months.
- Consider wearing old clothing while working since pomegranate juice stains most surfaces.
- To remove the arils, score the pomegranate rind and separate the fruit into sections.
- Hold the sections in a bowl of water and remove the arils, letting them fall to the bottom.
- Eat the arils, seeds and all, or use them in recipes like salads, sauces and desserts.
- Create juice from the arils by pulsing them in a blender and straining out the seeds.
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Introduction
- With their succulent, ruby red fruit, pomegranates were once used to add a beautiful stain to fabrics and even lips and cheeks.Betty Crocker: Pomegranate Today, they're touted for their high vitamin C, potassium and fiber content, as well as being a great source of heart-healthy antioxidants.Pomegranates.org: Health and Nutrition Although you may appreciate them for their health benefits more than their staining ability, one taste of the juicy arils (seeds), and you'll understand why they've been beloved for so long. Learn how to select, seed and eat the unique fruit that's as fun as it is tasty.
Using Fresh Pomegranates
- Ensure you get the best tasting pomegranates by following proper selection and storage methods.
Selecting Pomegranates
- Look for a pomegranate that has a deep pink-peach color since one that's crimson red may be overripe.Chow: Pomegranate Secrets
- Choose large pomegranates because the size may indicate that the fruit is more developed and sweet.Produce Pete: Pomegranate: Selecting
- Consider the pomegranate's weight, since it may mean the fruit is juicier.Pomegranates.org: Frequently Asked Questions: How Do I Tell if a Pomegranate is Ripe?
- Don't buy a pomegranate that's bruised or has cracks in the skin.Suite 101: How to Buy, Store, and Eat a Pomegranate
- Pick one that feels a little spongy. An overly soft pomegranate may be rotten.Chow: Pomegranate Secrets
Storing Pomegranates
- Store whole pomegranates in a cool, dry place for up to one month.About.com: Pomegranate Storage
- Keep whole pomegranates refrigerated for up to two months.Eating Well: Storage Tips
- Store arils that have been removed from the whole fruit in the refrigerator for up to three days.Pom Wonderful: Fresh Arils
- Freeze the arils and pomegranate juice for up to six months.Eating Well: Storage Tips
Eating a Pomegranate
- When you're ready to enjoy a refreshing snack or need to retrieve pomegranate seeds to use in a salad, main dish or dessert, use these tips to get the most yield from each piece of fruit. A large pomegranate will generate about one cup of arils.Food and Wine: Pomegranates
Removing the Seeds
- Wear old clothing and using a plastic cutting board since pomegranate juice easily stains most surfaces.Simply Recipes: How to Cut and De-Seed a Pomegranate
- Slice off the pomegranate's stem.Real Simple: How to Seed a Pomegranate
- Use a knife to score the pomegranate's rind several times, stopping the cuts just short of hitting the arils inside.DIY Life: How to De-seed a Pomegranate
- Place the pomegranate in a bowl of cold water.Bon Appetit: How to Seed a Pomegranate
- Pull the fruit apart along the scored lines.Real Simple: How to Seed a Pomegranate
- Work underwater, loosening the arils from the white membranes.Food and Wine: Pomegranates
- Use a strainer to skim any bits of membrane from the top of the water, then use it to drain the seeds.Simply Recipes: How to Cut and De-Seed a Pomegranate
- YouTube Video: How to Cut Open a Pomegranate (Time: 4:05)
Eating the Pomegranate
- Let the arils dry on a paper towel before eating them or using them in a recipe.Start Cooking: How to: Pomegranate
- Since the seed in the center of each aril is a great source of fiber, you can eat the arils without discarding the seeds.
- Because it's so bitter, however, avoid eating the white membrane around the seeds.Pomegranates.org: Frequently Asked Questions: What Part Do I Eat?
Making Pomegranate Juice
- Use a blender and strainer to make pomegranate juice.
- -Put the arils in a blender.Start Cooking: How to: Pomegranate
- -Pulse the blender a few times.Simply Recipes: Pomegranates
- -Strain the juice through a fine strainer or piece of cheesecloth to remove the hard seeds.Start Cooking: How to: Pomegranate
- -Add sugar, if desired, before serving or using in a recipe.Simply Recipes: Pomegranates
- You can also juice the fruit like you would a lemon with a manual juicer.Amazon.com: Metrokane Mighty OJ Manual Citrus Juicer
- -Cut the pomegranate in half.
- -Press each half in a manual juicer.Pomegranates.org: Frequently Asked Questions: How Do I Juice a Pomegranate?
- -Using an electric juicer would also process the white membrane, turning the pomegranate juice bitter.Pomegranates.org: Frequently Asked Questions: How Do I Juice a Pomegranate?
- Try a simple rolling method if you want to drink the juice immediately.
Alternative Methods
- Although removing the pomegranate seeds underwater is often cited as the easiest and cleanest technique, there are additional methods you can use to separate the fruit.
- Eat a Pomegranate Like an Apple: Cut the pomegranate into pieces and pick the arils out with your teeth or bite into the membrane and arils like you would an apple.Suite 101: How to Buy, Store, and Eat a Pomegranate
- Tap a Pomegranate with a Spoon: Cut the pomegranate in half, then invert a half over a bowl and tap the skin with a wooden spoon to release the seeds.YouTube: Superfoods: How to Get Seeds Out of Pomegranates (Time: 0:51)
- Fan a Pomegranate: Cut the pomegranate in half, make four cuts about one inch deep into the membrane so you can "fan" the pomegranate out. Hold the fanned fruit over a bowl and tap it with a spoon to free the seeds.Pomegranates.org: No Mess: Fanning Method
- Peel a Pomegranate: Cut off the stem and scoop out as much of the core as you can without hitting the seeds. Score the outer skin with a knife so you can break it into quarters. Pull the sections apart and peel off the pith covering the seeds to release them.About.com: How to Peel a Pomegranate
Pomegranate Recipes
- Put those pomegranate seeds to good use in delicious and sophisticated recipes that use the pretty fruit as a tart condiment. You may also want to create a beverage featuring pomegranate juice to complement the meal.
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