Removing orange segment membranes

[Lens]

Yesterday I decided I'd like some fruit salad the way Mom
used to make it, which was pretty simple: gather together
whatever fruit was around or available, cut it up and put it
in a bowl. Chill and eat.

This being winter in the Chicago area I was pretty much
limited to apples, pears, grapes and navel oranges.

Everything went well until I remembered that Mom used to
remove the membranes from the navel orange segment, but I
couldn't remember how she did it.

I experimented and found a difficult way to do the chore,
specifically puncturing the membrane with the tip of a
paring knife and then slipping the blade under the membrane
to slice it off the pulp. More laborious than it sounds.

Is there an easy way to do this?

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

-Len

 

[Naomi Darvell]

x-no-archive: yes

Depends on the orange. If the membrane seems tight, your
best bet is to peel the orange, but not separate the
segments. Put it on the cutting board and slice the segments
free of the membranes.

I've been using ruby grapefruits (highly recommended, along
with tangerines) in fruit salads. With those, and with some
oranges, I sometimes ditch the knife and just peel the
membrane away from each segment with my fingers. Make a
notch in the middle and inside of each section, and then
peel away from there. It's about as fast and you waste less.
Peel them right over the bowl you're mixing the salad in, to
catch any stray juice.

Naomi D.

 

[Wardna]

>puncturing the membrane with the tip of a paring knife
>and then slipping the blade under the membrane to slice
>it off the pulp

That's more or less the way I do it, not worrying about the
third side (circumference) membrane, which can stay and
helps hold the segment together. Optional for oranges;
necessary for grapefruit.

Neil

 

[Penmart01]

> LenS lenston
>
Mom used to remove the
>membranes from the navel orange segment, but I couldn't
>remember how she did it.
>
>I experimented and found a difficult way to do the chore,
>specifically puncturing the membrane with the tip of a
>paring knife and then slipping the blade under the membrane
>to slice it off the pulp. More laborious than it sounds.
>
>Is there an easy way to do this?

Perhaps you're mom is an obsessive-compulsive... normal
brained folks don't remove the membrane from navel
oranges... are you sure it wasn't grapefruit... or maybe you
remember her picking the lint from your pupik... hehe

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED
NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon ```````````` "Life would be
devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

 

[Donna Rose]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> Everything went well until I remembered that Mom used to
> remove the membranes from the navel orange segment, but I
> couldn't remember how she did it.
>
> I experimented and found a difficult way to do the
> chore, specifically puncturing the membrane with the tip
> of a paring knife and then slipping the blade under the
> membrane to slice it off the pulp. More laborious than
> it sounds.
>
> Is there an easy way to do this?

The technique you're referring to is called 'supreming'.
There's a photograph and explanation here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=c-
hannel1427

If that line wraps, you can use this link:

http://tinyurl.com/2wtxb
--
Donna A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist
hopes they are.

 

[Stark Raven]

In article <[email protected]>, Donna
Rose <[email protected]> wrote:

> The technique you're referring to is called 'supreming'.
> There's a photograph and explanation here:
>

Thanks. I've been using the technique but couldn't remember
what it was called. I use a small serrated salame, or
tomato, knife which seems to work best for trimming away
pith and cutting alongside membrane.

 

[Notbob]

On 2004-03-15, Stark Raven <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Thanks. I've been using the technique but couldn't
> remember what it was called. I use a small serrated
> salame, or tomato, knife which seems to work best for
> trimming away pith and cutting alongside membrane.

This reminds me of an old thread from several years back.
What is the name of the membrane covering citrus sections?
As I recall, it stumped everyone and no one came up with
an answer.

nb