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Find Your Pomegranate Personality Type
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The mysterious pomegranate… beautiful, strange and famously difficult to crack. Don’t get frustrated trying to get to the juicy heart of these seeded fruits—instead, use our guide to match your personality type to your best method of breaking into these beauties.
The mysterious pomegranate… beautiful, strange and famously difficult to crack. Don’t get frustrated trying to get to the juicy heart of these seeded fruits—instead, use our guide to match your personality type to your best method of breaking into these beauties.
The Traditionalist: Are you a rules-follower, as straight-laced as they come? Will you be enjoying your pomegranate while reading Charles Dickens, with the sounds of Beethoven in the background? Try this time-tested traditional method.
STEP 1: Remove the top “flower” portion of the pomegranate with a paring knife.
STEP 2: Use your knife to score the sides. You’ll notice natural ridges in the sides of the pomegranate, so try to score along these. You should cut through the rind and most of the white pith, but don’t cut into the seeds.
STEP 3: Grip the pomegranate with your thumbs against the cut-away top portion, and press down, pulling the sections of the pomegranate apart gently. Empty out the seeds from each section and enjoy—pinkies up, of course.
The Neatnik: Does your home feature white carpet or pristinely maintained marble countertops? Do you vacuum more than once daily? Try the submerge method—it requires some patience, but by moving the process underwater, there’s payoff in the lack of mess.
STEP 1: Cut the pomegranate in half through its “equator” (the top flower portion should remain on one half, and the bottom stem end on the other).
STEP 2: Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge both halves. Pause to disinfect your shower grout if the urge strikes (we won’t judge).
STEP 3: Gently nudge the seeds from the halves. The pith will float to the top, while the heavier seeds will fall to the bottom. Skim off the pith, drain with a colander and enjoy (after tidying up, naturally).
The Caveman: When you look at a pomegranate, do you think to yourself, “That looks delicious, but what I’d really like to do is whack at it with a stick”? Follow your primal instincts, my friend; the wooden spoon method is the one for you.
STEP 1: Cut the pomegranate in half, again through its “equator” (see the Neatnik method for more on this).
STEP 2: Gently press at the center of each half to loosen the seeds.
STEP 3: Get out that wooden spoon and get ready! Working over a bowl, hit the back of each pomegranate half several times, dislodging the seeds. Note that this method is quick, but it can be messy (wipeable surfaces in your kitchen—or cave—are a plus here).
The Slacker: Dude. Those other methods are like, SO much to deal with, you know? If you need to catch up on Game of Thrones while deseeding your pomegranate, try this technique, which requires minimal contact with sharp objects.
STEP 1: Locate a hard surface, like your coffee table, or that disused chemistry textbook from three semesters ago.
STEP 2: Roll your pomegranate all around to loosen the seeds, pressing down firmly. You should hear some snapping or cracking sounds as you do so (this is the pith breaking apart).
STEP 3: Cut the pomegranate in half (this will require a sharp knife—locate a responsible adult to take over this step, if necessary). Scoop out the seeds, and congratulate yourself on achieving maximum payoff with minimal effort.
Want your pomegranate without all the work? Check out these pomtastic Pomegranate Picks!
