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A Tedious Quest For The Best Way To Deseed A Pomegranate

There IS such a thing as 'too many options'.
copyright rhinoneal via Getty Images
copyright rhinoneal via Getty Images

The months when pomegranates are in season are some of the best months of the year. When they start showing up in the produce section, images of jeweled cheese balls, gorgeous winter salads and bedazzled yogurts come to mind, but first ― first ― we have to get those glorious seeds out of the fruit’s tight hold.

There are many ways to crack into a pomegranate, each with their own pros and cons. We think, when it comes down to it, the best method for each individual really depends on your personality. Some ways are better for impatient types, others will only fly with the OCD-leaning folks.

These are the most popular methods, presented in no particular order. Go with what feels right ― just make sure you get into a pomegranate (or twelve) this season.

1. The Quick And Dirty Method

This method ― which we discovered from FoodBeast ― we like to think of as the quick and dirty, because that’s exactly what it is. It gets the seeds out quickly ― some claim in just three seconds ― but it will almost guarantee a mess. You will get juice all over the place if you’re not careful.

Here’s how it’s done:

First, you cut a pomegranate in half. Then...

Food Beast

...you whack it like crazy until all the seeds come out.

That’s right, whack it with the back of a wooden spoon or metal spatula until nothing is left but the hard skin and white membrane. See:

Food Beast

2. The Safe And Clean Method

If dirty is not really cool with you, there is a cleaner way to deseed a pomegranate. It’s so clean that it involves a bowl of water ― and there is absolutely no whacking. This method requires that you cut the top and bottom off the fruit, score it down the sides and separate the pomegranate in half, like so:

Your Produce Guy

Once you have your pomegranate segments, plunge them into the bowl of water and free the seeds out of the fruit. The seeds should sink to the bottom, the white membrane floats to the top and the juice just blends in with the water. It should go something like this:

Your Produce Guy

3. The Super Meticulous Method

Another way to get pomegranate seeds without making a mess or using a bowl of water is to know how to carefully cut one open. If you do it just right, there should be no mess at all because no seed will be accidentally cut into.

First, cut a cone into the flower end of the fruit trying not to cut into the seeds.

Second, look at your pomegranate and you’ll see that there are ridges on it. This is where the pomegranate will naturally come apart without breaking any seeds. Lightly score along the ridge and then break it open.

Then you can easily eat the seeds right from the fruit or gently pry them away from the membrane and gather in a bowl.

Once you’ve successfully freed the seeds, make sure you add them to everything you eat.

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