José Andrés Pro Tip For Opening Pomegranates
Hardly anything compares to the sensory pleasure that comes with the divinely juicy pop when you bite into pomegranate seeds. For a fruit that is so criminally delicious, it's a wonder how the ruby seeds come loaded with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants (via Healthline). Sadly, the process of deseeding the fruit can also be criminally messy.
If you love pomegranates or have at least tried to seed one, you know the pain is real. There's a reason why people prefer to give in to the convenience of buying those pomegranate seed containers. If you think the crime scene-esque look of your chopping board post-seeding is your biggest problem, wait until you stain your hand and clothes.
That said, there are ways you can easily deseed a pomegranate, and honestly, the fresh spoonfuls are worth it. Spanish chef José Andrés recently demonstrated a clever way to free the seeds without squishing them, and it might be one of the best hacks to extract the seeds ever.
José Andrés's gentle way of seeding pomegranates
In a clip posted to his Instagram account, José Andrés demonstrated how to open a pomegranate without making a big mess. The celebrity chef talks about how cutting a pomegranate is a way to spread the juice all over the place, but to avoid that, one can use their hand to snap it open. "The pomegranate is like a firecracker. Loves to be opened up, " he said as he held two halves of a pomegranate he broke open with ease. "You see, I didn't break any of the pomegranates. They are all whole and they are happy because they are free. Yes!" he exclaimed.
The next step is to gently push the skin of the pomegranate's bark and let the seeds drop into a bowl. At this point, you can also use your fingers to loosen up the ruby-red fruit by tearing the inner soft layer.
Since you will be using your hand to seed the fruit, you might stain your hands if you don't wash them quickly enough. To avoid this, Sweetish Hill recommends breaking it open in a bowl of water. As for how to avoid staining your clothes, take Padma Lakshmi's sage pomegranate advice and simply wear an old shirt that you wouldn't mind staining!