Pleasingly Easy Ways to Peel Summer Fruit
Now that summer is here we’re going to be preparing a lot more fruit in our bespoke kitchens. Whether that is in the form of puddings, pies or desserts remains to be seen. At the same time, what type of fruit we opt for depends, of course on our family’s preferences and tastes.
But, have you ever been put off a particular fruit you love – just because you can’t be bothered to peel it? Or, if you do manage to peel it you only end up with half the fruit, the rest clinging to the skin and which is now in the bin?
If that’s you then read on. We’ve chosen five notoriously difficult to peel fruits and come up with some ingenious solutions. Your fruit peeling dilemmas are about to be over…
De-furring a kiwi
Most of us probably use a knife to cut off the furry peel, or even a potato peeler. It’s not easy though and there are usually lots of fruit left clinging to the peel and littering the worktop of our lovely bespoke kitchen. Well, here’s a better way to get rid of the furry stuff – simply cut off a bit from either end of the kiwi then insert a desert spoon and twist it round. All that’s left for you to do then is scoop out the yummy, sweet green flesh inside.
Glassing a mango
A gorgeous big juicy fruit, packed with vitamin C and A and incredibly tasty, a mango is also incredibly difficult to peel. The flesh of a mango can, however, be separated from its skin in a relatively easy manner.
This is similar to the kiwi ie cutting off an end at each side and scooping out the flesh (this only works if the mango is ripe).
First, slice the mango in two large chunks so that you can discard the tough middle area. Next, get a glass and sit the bottom of the mango slice on the edge of the glass. Now press firmly down so that the glass sits in between the fleshy part of the mango and its skin. As you push down the flesh falls into the glass and the skin falls away. Yep, it really is that easy. Try it for yourself!
Unbaffling a banana
Most of the time it works, but sometimes peeling a banana from the end sticking up doesn’t always work. It can, in fact, make much more of a mess than you had bargained on in your bespoke kitchen. The best way to peel a banana? It’s the way monkeys do it.
Our little furry friends go to the opposite end of the banana that we typically reach for. It’s the nubby bit at the bottom. They then pinch it with their fingers (thumb and forefinger) to make a clean split and peel back. Easy!
Unpeeling a peach (in its entirety)
Get a handful of ripe peaches and set them aside while you boil a pan of water in your handmade kitchen. Take each peach and put a medium-sized cross in the bottom with a knife.
Sit the peaches inside the pan for almost a minute to briefly blanche them and loosen the skin. Once removed with tongs or a slotted spoon place the peaches in a pot of iced cold water for a minute.
Remove and simply pull the skin off easily with your fingers.
Open oranges easily
Always the messiest of fruits to open I’ve personally found; an orange is nevertheless delicious and packed full of vitamin C – so unpeeling it is definitely worth pursuing. There are several ways. One way is to slice off the ends (just like the kiwi) and make a small cut in the side. Then, open carefully and you’ll find the orange has divided into segments. Cool!
Another method of unpeeling an orange and ensuring it doesn’t squirt all over your lovely handmade kitchen, is to put it in hot water for a minute, pull it out and leave it for another minute, then peel – by which time the skin will have softened and be easier to pull back.
And yet another method of getting into that orange easily is to get a small paring knife and cut right round the centre of the orange (just into the pith, not the flesh). Next, get a desert spoon and put it between the skin and flesh then simply move it around one half of the peel. It should come away easily. Put it back on then have a go at the other half of the orange. Voila!
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Looking to have a handmade kitchen designed and built specially for you and your family? Then get in touch for a consultation today. Simply tel: 01202 481177 or email office@classic-kitchens-direct.com.
