On the outside, a pomegranate is a simple, round fruit, but inside there are many delicious seeds. Getting to them is not that easy. They burst open easily and spray their red juice everywhere. A huge mess! Which trick makes it cleaner?
What methods are there for cleanly deseeding a pomegranate?
There are three methods to remove the seeds from a pomegranate without making a mess: 1) carefully split the fruit and remove the seeds, 2) tap out the seeds with a wooden spoon and 3) open the pomegranate under water and remove the seeds from the peel.
Pay attention to fresh and ripe fruits
The kernels must be plump, juicy, aromatic and brightly red in color. Sometimes there is great disappointment when the inside comes to light at home. But then it's too late. So you can pay attention to fresh and ripe fruits when buying:
- only choose plump fruits that fill firmly
- Soft spots are signs that the fruit is rotting
- the peel should be shiny and not dried out
- There should be no mold in the flower base; Smell it if necessary
- The variety with the reddish skin is more suitable for fresh consumption
Tip
A ripe pomegranate feels heavier than an unripe one of the same size. Be sure to do the test by picking up different pomegranates. Unfortunately, a fruit that is picked unripe will no longer ripen.
This is how the kernels come out without making a mess
To this day, no device has been developed for deseeding a pomegranate. “Hard” manual work awaits you before you can enjoy it. What is common practice with a conventional apple should be avoided at all costs with a pomegranate: cutting it with a knife. You do that once and never again.
When the kernels are cut, their red juice squirts everywhere it is not wanted. Clothes, table, chairs nothing is spared. In order for the pomegranate juice to produce its seeds without making a mess, they must remain intact or their juice's ability to fly must be slowed down. These methods are known so far:
- Carefully break the pomegranate into pieces
- Knock out the seeds with a wooden spoon
- Open pomegranate under water
Cut the pomegranate carefully
In this variant, a sharp knife can be used, albeit very tentatively. Since a few seeds can still burst despite all caution, you should place the pomegranate on a large tray. Wearing old clothes or an apron and gloves won't hurt. This is how you properly divide the pomegranate to get better access to its seeds:
- Using a sharp knife, remove the two ends of the pomegranate by cutting off a slice each. If you're not sure how far you can cut, you can gradually approach the interior. As soon as the seeds are visible, you have removed enough.
- Use the tip of the knife to remove as much of the visible white flesh from the open ends as you can without damaging the seeds.
- Now cut the pomegranate peel lengthwise 5-6 times without touching the seeds underneath. The optimal cutting lines are where the individual chambers are separated from each other by the white pulp. You can clearly see this by the cut ends.
- Take the pomegranate in both hands and try to break it into pieces by carefully pulling it apart. You may need to deepen the interfaces a little here and there.
- Once you have successfully divided the pomegranate, use your hands to get close to the seeds and remove them piece by piece in a bowl.
Tip
The white dividers are edible, but not to everyone's taste. They contain a lot of bitter substances and are therefore usually thrown away.
Knock out the seeds with a wooden spoon
The laborious task of pulling out the seeds by hand can also be done with a wooden spoon, but it requires a lot of muscle strength. They aren't just spooned out, but beaten out. Here's how to do it:
- Place the pomegranate on a large plastic tray or plate because some juice may come out when cutting. Wooden boards are not ideal as the red sap leaves stains.
- Cut the pomegranate about 1/2 cm deep all around.
- Grip each half with one hand and turn them in different directions. The two halves separate from each other. You then have one half with the stem end and one half with the flower base.
- Hold a pomegranate half over a large bowl with the open cut side facing down.
- Tap the outer shell firmly with a sturdy wooden spoon until all the seeds have gradually fallen out.
- Stubborn kernels that are still firmly in place can be carefully loosened by hand by breaking the shell into pieces to expose the kernels.
Open pomegranate under water
With this method, a few kernels can burst, but the juice that comes out cannot spread everywhere in the room thanks to the braking effect of the water.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water.
- Cut off both ends of the pomegranate.
- Break the pomegranate apart under water with your hands.
- Remove the exposed kernels from the shell by hand. The heavy cores then sink to the bottom, while the thin membranes float on the surface of the water.
- Fish out the inedible pomegranate parts by hand.
- Then pour the contents through a sieve to catch the seeds.
- Rinse the kernels well with clean water.
Durability
Fresh pomegranate seeds are too tempting to have to wait too long for a willing eater. Undamaged pomegranate seeds can also be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to two days.
Conclusion for quick readers
- Ripe characteristics: Shiny skin, plump fruit without soft spots; feels heavy in the hand
- Tip: The red-skinned variety is tastier when eaten fresh
- Challenge: Kernels burst open; the juice splashes around and leaves red spots
- Clean methods: Carefully cut the fruit; Knock out the seeds; gutting under water
- Cut the fruit: cut away the ends; Make long cuts 5-6 times; break apart and take out the cores
- Tapping out: cut 0.5 cm deep all around; separate into two halves
- Tapping out: hold half over bowl; tap bowl with wooden spoon; Kernels fall out
- Underwater: cut off ends; Break fruit apart into a bowl of water
- Underwater:Fish out the white parts; Pour the rest through a sieve and rinse out the seeds
- Shelf life: Unbroken kernels will last for two days in the refrigerator
