How to peel a grapefruit properly

Grapefruit is not a naturally occurring fruit, but the result of crossing the pomelo with an orange. Although it was introduced to Russian consumers no more than 40 years ago, it became known to the world much earlier - in the 18th century, when it was bred on the island of Barbados. At first it was grown in limited quantities. Only a century later there were huge plantations of fruit, it began to be cultivated for commercial purposes.

The fruit got its name from Jamaican traders, who noticed that the grapefruit grows in huge clusters, like grapefruit. From the English pronunciation of "grape," meaning "grape," came the name of the fruit.

Its peculiar grapefruit bitterness is not to everyone's liking, which is why it has fewer fans than such familiar citrus fruits as orange, mandarin and lemon. However, in fact, its value is great, not without reason, the grapefruit fruit is considered by nutritionists to be royal.

How to choose a sweet and ripe grapefruit

A good fresh, ripe grapefruit can be felt from a distance: it is impossible to walk past the counter with such a fruit, the invigorating aroma just beckons. And to the touch, it's firm and hard, with a shiny, smooth skin. When it is ripe and lodged it does not smell as good and it is soft and fermented; it may even have a slightly wrinkled rind.

The fresh herbaceous smell with a hint of bitterness is a definite indication that it tastes the same, juicy and with a hint of bitterness. The ripe sweet fruit also has a sweetish flavor.

The color of the rind can be pale yellow, and yellowish with an orange hue, and almost scarlet. Those that are pink, like a child's cheeks from the frost, or covered with red dots, like freckles, will be riper and sweeter than fruits with a monochrome rind.

In general, a normally developed ripe grapefruit is always much larger than an orange, and all that is smaller are usually unripe.

When choosing a fruit, you should ask the seller whether it is thin-skinned or thick-skinned. Thick-skinned grapefruits have pink flesh more often than thin-skinned ones. As a rule, these grapefruits are moderately sweet, but with a slight sourness. But sometimes grapefruits have noticeable bitterness.

The ripe thin skinned grapefruits are usually heavy, because of the large quantity of juice. Usually their flesh is almost red and sweet, but with a bright sourness. There is practically no bitterness in such grapefruits.

But the sweetest varieties are those with dark, almost red rind. Their flesh is usually pink.

How to Peel a Grapefruit Quickly and Properly

A grapefruit is not a tangerine, which is easy to peel. To get to the juicy flesh, you need to remove not only the skin, but also the bitter film. But first the fruit must be washed!

With a knife and hands

Some citrus lovers consider this option to be the easiest way to clean it. Start by cutting off the top of the fruit, then vertically make a few shallow cuts - up to 4 mm, as if to divide the fruit into slices about 2 cm thick, after which the skin is very easy to remove by hand.

Next comes the turn of the white loose layer under the peel, you also need to separate it with your hands to be able to get to the slices. It is not necessary to remove cleanly, because you still have to separate also the films that protect the juicy delicious flesh, and the loose layer will remain on them.

Now you need to divide the fruit into slices, and then remove the foil from each of them with a small serrated knife.

Using a knife.

Cut off the top and bottom of the fruit with a sharp knife. Place it with one of the slices on a cutting board and begin to carefully cut the skin from top to bottom. It is better to cut not very wide - up to 3 cm - in fragments, so as not to send too much pulp in the waste.

The next step is to cut from one side to the core along the slice. Now it will be convenient to unfold the fruit in the form of an accordion and put it on a cutting board. Then, using a sharp knife, cut out the pulp from each slice one by one, freeing it from the bitter film.

All actions according to this method are made with a knife, which, of course, is more convenient than using your hands. But this method has a significant disadvantage - a lot of juice will leak out, and a decent amount of pulp will go to waste.

Using your hands

This method requires only a single use of a knife - at the very beginning, when you need to cut the skin. It is better to do it in the place where the flower was before. And then you can simply tear off the peel with your hands, trying to grab it along with the thick white loose layer.

Peel the peeled grapefruit into two halves. If at the moment of breaking the film on the slices was damaged, you can take out the pulp. If the membranes remain intact, tear them and take out the juicy contents. In this way proceed with each slice in turn.

You can still use a knife and, having cut the fruit to the middle between the two slices, unfold it with a sharp movement. When the grapefruit is ripe, the membranes should come away from the flesh, making it easier to remove.

Using the microwave

Peel the grapefruit with your hands from the skin - as in the previous method - and, putting it on a plate, send it to the microwave, the regulator of which is set at maximum power, for no more than 15-20 seconds. After such treatment, the shells will come off more easily.

With a knife and spoon

Notch the grapefruit rind to a depth of no more than 4 mm along the "equator". Start dipping a tablespoon between the peel and the flesh, gently pulling the loose white layer away from the slices. To be more convenient, you can first make a hole with a handle, and when it expands, insert the spoon itself. In this way, you can remove both "hemispheres" of the grapefruit rind.

Next, you can do it any way you want - either cut the fruit lengthwise to the middle and unfold it, or divide it into slices. Remove the foils with a sharp knife with serrated teeth.

What's the use of grapefruit?

The grapefruit is considered to be one of the best dietary fruits because of its low calorie content: 100 grams of grapefruit pulp contains only 35 calories. The mass fraction of carbohydrates in the product is about 6.5 g, protein - 0.7 g, fat - 0.2 g.

The benefits of

Each grapefruit is a treasure trove of useful substances, without which the human body can not exist.

1. So, among the vitamins are ascorbic acid, known for its antioxidant properties and allows the removal of toxins from tissues, protecting blood vessels and cells from negative external influences. Vitamin B1 normalizes the cardiovascular system, stimulates brain function and enhances immunity. Vitamin PP controls protein and fat metabolism, dilates blood vessels and prevents the accumulation of cholesterol on them, and is also involved in the organization of the wound healing process.
2. Folic acid is responsible for the development of all human systems and organs, especially for the formation of the neural tube of a baby carried by a pregnant woman.
3. Tocopherol, prevents aging by successfully preventing oxidative processes, and also takes care of human eyesight. Vitamin A is responsible for the condition of the skin.
4. Thanks to the set of mineral elements contained in grapefruit, such as calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, a person can expect to improve heart function and lower blood pressure, improve bone structure and teeth, normalize the nervous system and relieve state in depressions and during stress.
5. Women, regardless of age and build, always want to lose weight, and grapefruit is the best assistant in this - first of all, thanks to its excellent ability to adjust the metabolism. In addition, the fruit not only adds slimness, but also helps ladies to become more beautiful, removing swelling, preventing the development of cellulite and inhibiting skin aging. In addition, a number of studies suggest that grapefruit should be consumed by women who are at risk of uterine and breast cancer.
6. Men who frequently suffer heart attacks or strokes due to high blood pressure may use the fruit to prevent these serious illnesses. In addition, cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels in men is also not uncommon, and grapefruit helps to combat this problem.
7. For men, grapefruit can be a plus to remove traces of a heavy meal from the face, speeding up the metabolism and tidying up the skin, and for those who lead a healthy lifestyle and spend a lot of time in the gym, will help quickly achieve a trim slender body.
8. Losing weight, which is possible through the use of grapefruit, based on its ability to increase the metabolic rate, as a result, calories are burned more actively, the waste and toxins are removed faster, going overweight. In addition, grapefruit gives a feeling of fullness, which makes it possible to reduce the amount of food eaten during the day. In addition, the citrus helps to adjust the intestinal function, to get rid of constipation.
9. For children, the fruit is useful not only because of its rich vitamin and mineral composition, but also because of its low sugar content. But like all citrus fruits, grapefruit is very allergic, so a kid under the age of three years should not give it.
10. Pregnant women also benefit from this fruit, because vitamin C and iron help to keep the body of the expectant mother normal and prevent anemia, and folic acid helps control the proper formation of the child. During the toxicosis, which occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, grapefruit can be a salvation from bouts of nausea. But because of the allergenicity of the fruit should be used very carefully. For the same reason, you should not eat grapefruit to women who are breastfeeding.
11. Beneficial even grapefruit peel. Infusions and decoctions from it are recommended for the prevention of elevated cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as cancer. Such healing compositions are even able to resist hepatitis viruses.
12. From grapefruit kernels in industrial conditions make an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory extract.

The harm

Grapefruit has many useful properties, but still there is a group of people to whom its consumption should be limited.

First of all, these are patients who have been diagnosed with duodenal or stomach ulcers, as well as gastritis or simply increased acidity of gastric juice. The fruit is contraindicated to them because of its high acid content. For the same reason, people with liver problems should be more careful with grapefruit. The fruit is not forbidden for them categorically, but we shouldn't overeat it, because the sick organ can't cope with the processing of a large set of chemicals that are included in the fruit. This is especially true for those who have been diagnosed with renal failure.

In addition, this fruit is incompatible with a number of drugs, such as tranquilizers, antidepressants or painkillers. In addition, grapefruit can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills.

You should not eat grapefruit in the evening before going to bed: it has such high tonic abilities that it will drive away sleep for good, it will be especially difficult to fall asleep for those who do not sleep well or suffer from insomnia.

Many dentists warn that grapefruit juice corrodes tooth enamel, resulting in microcracks, which later become the entry gate for tooth decay.

Grapefruit has a peculiarity that sets it apart from other citrus fruits: it contains the natural toxin furanocoumarin. On its own it is harmless, but in combination with certain foods can be harmful to the body. That is why you should avoid eating nuts, legumes, milk, cheese, yogurt, sour cream and other dairy products at the same time with grapefruit. Also prohibited are foods that contain a significant amount of starch, such as potatoes, jelly beans and other sweets made with them.

Is it possible to eat grapefruit with foil

Many people can't stand bitter films and always throw them away. This is not necessary, especially for those who struggle with weight and plan to lose weight. For them, bitter films are very useful because they contain the antioxidant naringin. It has the ability to improve digestion and increase the activity of the liver, as a result of which fat begins to burn more actively.

Not only are the grapefruit seeds rich in Naringin, but so are the peels and rinds. For those who lose weight, it is just a godsend, by eating them, extra pounds will go away on their own.