How To Peel Oranges: 4 Easy And Quick Ways To Enjoy The Fruit

No doubt, orange is a delicious fruit. It is sometimes sweet, sometimes tangy and sometimes pungently delightful. Rich in antioxidants, oranges are also known to help boost immunity and lower the risk of diseases because of the presence of healthy amounts of vitamin C. People suffering from diabetes can also be benefitted by substituting sugary fruits with oranges that are known to be high in fibre too. Interestingly, oranges are easy to store by keeping them at room temperature. If peeled, they need to be kept inside the refrigerator. Eating chilled oranges can be a delightful experience in itself. They can be added to fruit cream, vanilla ice cream and parfait or just be added in fruit salads.  

Oranges also works well with a lot of fruits for smoothies and juices which are a very healthy way of starting you morning. Oranges can be blended with mangoes, strawberries, pineapples, and even banana to make the perfect refreshing smoothie for the summer. We all love to drink the orange juice already. This classic drink can be spiked even further with adding booze to make thirst-quenching mimosas for brunches.

"First peel it, and then drink it" should be your way to drinking healthy and living a spirited life.

(Also Read: How Many Calories Are There In An Orange? Use These Tarty Fruits In Healthy Recipes)

4 Best Techniques To Peel Oranges

Peeling oranges may sound easy but trust me if it is not done properly, it can lose all of its juice and texture. To avoid accidents like these, follow the techniques below, listing the best ways for peeling oranges. They are sure to take less time, less effort and create a lot less of a mess while also making your peeling chores fun. You just need an orange, a sharpened knife and within three steps, you'll be able to peel your way through the orange.

Technique 1

1. Take an orange and remove its top and the bottom end by slicing it in thin circular shape.
2. Now, make a cut from the centre around the orange so as to open it up in a semi-circular shape.
3. Remove its outer covering and voila! You peeled an orange.

Technique 2

1. Take an orange and make a cut in the middle all around it circular length.
2. It should not be deep enough to cut the flesh but only affect the outer layer.
3. Insert a spoon or blunt knife between the peel and the flesh to remove the covering properly from both top and bottom and it's done.

Technique 3

1. Take an orange and remove its top and the bottom end by slicing it in thin circular shape.
2. Make cuts around it vertically in shape of wedges and separate it from each other.
3. Now remove the peel from the wedged-shape pieces of the orange.

Technique 4 (Peeling Oranges Without The Use Of Knife)

1. Take the orange and immerse it in warm water.
2. Take it out and wait 1 minute before peeling.
3. The rind will easily glide off the orange body.
4. You will be able to peel it just by your hands quite easily.

(Also Read: 5 Untold Benefits Of Orange Seeds)

Composting The Peels: Why Is It So Good!

Making compost requires two essential groups of ingredients - carbon-filled and nitrogen-rich substances also called as brown and green content, respectively. Orange peels form a part of the green content that is added in the compost to encourage growth of bacteria proficient in decomposing.

Nutrient-rich: Compost made of orange peels when breaks down, fills the soil with nutrients like phosphorus, potassium and magnesium.

Pest Control: Keeping the orange peel for composting is often recommended because of the strong smell it emanates which is very effective in keeping pests away. It will not only combat pest infestation but also keep common insects like ants and bugs away from the infiltrating the soil. 

Pet Control: The same powerful fragrance can also keep pets like cats and dogs away. When orange peels are scattered around pants and flower beds and combined with other strong odours (like lemon peels or coffee beans), they can easily keep pets away. It is very useful in preventing these naughty furriers from urinating or disregarding your gardens in general.        

(Also Read: 5 Ways to Use Oranges in Everyday Cooking)

Natural Fertilisers: Not just as compost, but it can also be used as natural fertiliser eliminating the needs of other chemical and artificially created fertilisers, which are proven to damage soil in long-term.

High Acid Level: Orange peel also tends to turn soil more acidic, which can either be used to neutralise an excessively alkaline soil or can work to benefit the specific plants that prefer to grow in acidic soil.

Now, that you know a variety of ways in which orange peel can be valuable to our households, peeling oranges does sound like a good start before taking up gardening and nurturing your cooking techniques.

Disclaimer:

The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.