There's An Easier Way To Peel And Eat A Mandarin Orange
Mandarin oranges make perfect snacks on the go, as it's fairly easy to peel them by hand and eating the whole thing in two quick bites. However, when you want to incorporate those sweet-tart gems into all your favorite savory and sweet preparations, peeling them and separating each segment one by one can be a little bit of a hassle. Luckily, TikTok can come to the rescue by showing you the fastest way to peel, segment, and cut mandarins in moments.
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As shown by user @kee_to_wellness, this hack starts with grabbing a pre-washed orange and cutting it in half at the equator. Then, simply turn the halves inside-out to pop out the pieces. They will detach from the rind easily, and those little bites of oranges are ready in a flash for your overnight oats, dinner party fruit salad, or evening charcuterie board. This is also a great hack for parents preparing meals for little ones who need their fruits cut into kid-friendly, bite-sized pieces.
The great advantages of this mandarin cutting trick
There are other ways to peel a mandarin in a slightly quicker fashion, such as cutting off the top and bottom, scoring it on the side, then unravelling it into a long strip of skin with the slices attached. However, this TikTok method way offers extra benefits, such as opening up the flesh of the fruit.
When you use whole orange segments in yogurt, smoothie bowls, and salads, the juice stays trapped inside and does not readily intermingle with the other components of the dish. Consider citrus salad with arugula and ricotta salata: You want the oranges to soak up the flavor of the white balsamic vinegar, pickled onions, olive oil, and fresh mint, and for the mandarin to give up some of its juice in return. The TikTok method maximizes flavor in this way, and you can even take it a step further and cut the citrus fruit into tender supremes by removing the white membranes.
Another big advantage is that this hack allows you to keep the rind intact rather than tearing it apart with your fingernails, so you can repurpose it. There are tons of no-waste tips to make the most out of citrus peels, including dehydrated garnishes, candying, and more.