How to Get the Arils Out of A Pomegranate
Getting the seeds (arils) out of a pomegranate is not as difficult as it may seem. I got more than a cup of arils out of just one large pomegranate, pictured here.
Pomegranate
Start by cutting off the top of the pomegranate about 1/2 inch down from the top (the crown).
Cut off the top of the pomegranate
As soon as the top is off, you will see the arils. They are packed in sections divided by membranes – a lot like the sections of an orange.
See the arils inside
To make it easier to divide the pomegranate into its sections, score the membrane along the top.
Score the membrane dividing each section
Pull the sections apart, revealing all of the arils inside. Now scoop out the arils into a bowl of water.
Split open the pomegranate, pulling apart the sections
When you put the arils (and the few pieces of membrane that stay with them) into a bowl of water, the arils sink to the bottom and the pieces of membrane float to the top.
Put the arils in a water bath to separate them from membrane pieces
Scoop away the pieces of membrane.
The arils sink and the membrane pieces float to the top
Strain the arils through a strainer or colander.
After scooping away membrane pieces, strain the arils
Now they are ready to go. You can top a salad with pomegranate seeds are just munch them in a snack. I’m going to use them in an apple-pomegranate spice bread recipe I just create. Check back for that post.
The arils are now ready to use. Enjoy!
Tags: arils, how to open, pomegranate
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 12:27 pm and is filed under Basics, Produce, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
StreamingGourmet - The Blog » Blog Archive » Apple-Pomegranate Spice Bread says:[...] About « How to Get the Arils Out of A Pomegranate [...]
November 14th, 2008 at 6:45 am
This simple solution to separating the seeds in super! So useful. I’ve loved pomegranates before they were touted for their health benefits, but I always felt like there was so much waste. THANKS!
November 15th, 2008 at 8:48 am
This is great, I’ve always made a mess. I’m going out right now to buy my own pom. BTW The photo showing the scoring is very pretty!
December 6th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Thanks for sharing the separating trick. I bought a pomegranate just this morning and will soon try this!
January 23rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
My husband (Spice) grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan and has fond memories of eating this delicious fruit. To get the Arils out without crushing the fruit, he cuts it into halves or quarters, flips it over in the palm of his hand so Arils are facing down, and then gently taps it with the long end of a utencil (knife sharperner, dowel, etc.) This keeps the juice from bursting out of the Arils while you removing them.
Besides being delicious, it is a gorgeous fruit!
Isteh Khoob (Bon Appetite)