If you don't like the taste or texture of the peel of a raw fruit, or if you are cooking fruit in a recipe, you may need to remove the peel. According to "Joy of Cooking," there are particular techniques for peeling different kinds of fruit. Using the correct technique will help you peel the fruit more efficiently and without injury.
Step 1
Use a vegetable or potato peeler if your fruit is firm, such as an apple. Hold the fruit in your non-dominant hand and the peeler in your dominant hand. Place the peeler at the base of the fruit and peel upward. Work your way around the piece of fruit until the peel has been completely removed.
Step 2
Use a paring knife, if preferred, to remove the peel at the top and bottom of the firm fruit. Place the fruit on a cutting board and gently cut away the peel.
Step 3
Use boiling water to remove skins from softer fruits, such as peaches and pears. Bring a pot of water to a boil and place the fruit in the pot for 20 to 60 seconds, recommends "Joy of Cooking." Take the fruit out of the water, let it cool a bit, and then peel away the skin with your fingers.
Step 4
Use a paring knife to cut a section of the peel from citrus fruit, such as oranges or grapefruits. Place your thumb inside the opening and peel the skin away from the fruit with your fingers. Make your way around the fruit until all the peel has been stripped away.
Tips and Warnings
- Consider eating some fruits with the peel left on, because the peel is loaded with vitamins and minerals, notes Franca Bianchini, author of "Fruit and Vegetables." Squeeze a bit of lemon or lime juice on the exposed skin of peeled fruit, particularly apples, to keep them from getting brown until you are ready to cook or eat them. Remove blemishes from your fruit before you begin to peel it to prevent the undesirable parts from coming into contact with the parts you will eat.
- To avoid injury, always push a peeler away from yourself instead of toward yourself.
Things You'll Need
- Vegetable peeler or potato peeler
- Pot
- Paring knife
- Cutting board
References
- "Joy of Cooking"; Irma von Starkloff Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker and Maria Guarnaschelli; 1997
- "Fruits and Vegetables"; Franca Bianchini; 2003
