God damn grapefruit - HOW?

[El D]

How do you eat grapefruit without mashing it? How do you get the flesh out? Tool or technique?

[n00dles]

I have a grapefruit knife - serated both sides (left of right hand use). Cut in half - across not over the stalk end - then guide knife round inside close to skin/pith - now cut each segment (similiar to slicing a cake). Either scrape out into dish, or eat straight from the g. half.

Serated knife is the best tool though.

Didn't know how difficult this would be to explain!

[joko]

you can also get bent knives to get further under the segments.

also one you have gone around the edge, if you squeeze 2 sides inwards you can get further under the segment too

you have to cut either side of the little segment strips

[Clanad]

El D! Long time... let me of assistance... Peel the grapefruit like an orange. Seperate the segments and place them in a bowl. From there you can either cut them into bite size pieces with a knife or you can eat the segments whole... I disgust my family by eating them with salt...Welcome back, by the way...

[n00dles]

Joko's reply reminded me...Forgot to say that my grapefruit knife is curved/bent....and when I said cut like slicing a cake, that did mean cutting both sides of the segments Doh! LOL :0}

[Coppernob]

You use grapefruit spoons, which are serrated along one edge. I've got six of them, and I simply wouldn't serve grapefruit without them! (Mind you, you still get juice sprayed around - just have to wipe the walls down occasionally!)

[Kim A]

You can also peel a grapefruit in the same way as an orange. Cut off a slice from the top and bottom, through the peel and right into the flesh. Put the grapefruit on a board and, using a sharp knife, cut off the rest of the rind and the outer membrane beneath it, leaving a somewhat naked fruit. Hold the peeled grapefruit in the palm of your hand, over a bowl(to catch all the juice), then cut the segments away from the dividing membranes, letting the segments fall into the bowl. When you've removed all the segments, you should be left with a sorry looking bundle of membrane which you can give a quick squeeze of to get the last of the juice out . This is a good method if you find the membrane/skin on a grapefruit is a bit tough and chewy. It also means that you can deal with the pips before you eat. You end up with peeled grapefruit that looks like that from a tin - which, it has to be said, is much easier to deal with, but not as nice to eat! Have fun!

[Kim A]

Oh and if you want a sort of tutorial on this technique, try www.cookingbynumbers.com in the Skills by Numbers section, number 17 (peeling citrus fruits)

[joko]

you can also cut it into slices, then break the ring of peel at the 'junction' of one of the segements and pull apart - you will get what looks like a row of triangular teeth that you just bite off

[curlyfilm]

buy it tinned

[n00dles]

curleyfilm, my sides are splitting!!!

off all the (Q) + A's today, yours is best !!

LOL :o}

[El D]

Thanks all - still seems a lot of hassle.

Btw Clanad I never left - I am upset you are not avidly following my contributions . . .