Over the years, I’ve run into a few things that weren’t immediately-obvious to me.
One of the big ones was eating pomegranates by opening them underwater. For those not familiar, pomegranates have a lot of red seeds and white husk between them:
Cutting a pomegranate or even opening a pomegranate tends to burst at least some seeds. The seeds are sticky and stain and tend to spray juice when pierced.
However, if you just cut through the outer hull of the fruit, then open it by hand underwater in a bowl of water, any juice that would have sprayed out is just grabbed by the water. Even better, the (inedible) white husk floats, so it self-separates instead of sticking to everything.
Today, I decided to try eating a watermelon with a spoon. In the past, that’s tended to also make things spray, so I tried a grapefruit spoon, one with serrations that runs down the side. And that works great – the spoon is like a knife, can go more-cleanly through the watermelon than a regular spoon, and still lets you scoop up the watermelon.
Any other neat tips that might be unorthodox or that people might not have tried or know about?
- MicrowavedTea ( @MicrowavedTea@infosec.pub ) English2•29 minutes ago
If you put grapes in the freezer they won’t completely freeze. Their frozen texture is like a slushie and they’re perfect for the summer.
You can sprinkle instant coffee over foods, like you do with salt and pepper, to make them slightly bitter. It goes great with sweet things based on milk or fruits.
- Lvxferre ( @lvxferre@mander.xyz ) English5•4 hours ago
Watermelon rinds and citrus peels are perfectly edible and tasty once candied, so don’t waste them. If you’re into booze, dump the citrus peels into vodka, wait a month, then mix the vodka half-and-half with syrup. (I know that this is technically not a food eating trick, but still - waste not, want not.)
- witty_username ( @witty_username@feddit.nl ) English4•5 hours ago
‘Fry’ mushrooms in a bit of water before adding oil. They wil turn beautifully golden brown.
Got this one from Adam Ragusea
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OPJmJdStvwI - 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️ ( @Kolanaki@yiffit.net ) English2•4 hours ago
I can do things with hotdogs that could possibly help in a hotdog eating competition. But that’s not what I usually use it for.
- edric ( @scytale@lemm.ee ) English3•5 hours ago
Some will call this blasphemous - If you want to eat spaghetti without having to slurp up noodles and get the sides of your mouth and potentially your shirt stained, use a fork and spoon. Slice the spaghetti buy crisscrossing it, scoop into the spoon, then put it in your mouth. Probably only do this at home and not at a dinner party.
- 🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦 ( @ZDL@ttrpg.network ) English4•5 hours ago
Or learn to twist the spaghetti with your fork against the spoon. It took me all of about ten minutes to learn that.
I don’t use a spoon, but I do twist it on the plate or bowl to get a “ball” of spaghetti (or linguini or angel hair).
- 🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦 ( @ZDL@ttrpg.network ) English2•4 hours ago
That works as well, but it’s harder to direct in my experience. The fork+spoon method of twirling just works best for me.
Well, when I’m in Canada. Here I eat noodles with chopsticks.
- Che Banana ( @The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org ) English3•5 hours ago
Cutting cherry tomatoes (olives, grapes) in half: lay your free hand over the top of a few on a cutting board and use a SHARP knife (or good serrated) to cut horizontally between your palm and the cutting board. I have seen some people use a plastic lid to do the same if you’re timid (it really is safe since the surface area of your hand is flat and won’t cut you easily)
On the pomegranate note, I cut in half (across the segments) and hold over a large bowl and gently spank the end with a spoon to tap out the seeds. ( I’d rather save all the juice with them).
- 🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦 ( @ZDL@ttrpg.network ) English2•4 hours ago
The spoon method for pomegranates was a game changer for me. Beforehand I loved the taste of them but rarely ate them because they were such a pain in the ass. Now I eat them whenever they’re available.
- sepiroth154 ( @sepiroth154@feddit.nl ) English10•7 hours ago
Opening a banana from the bottom up, it’s so much easier.
- kindenough ( @kindenough@kbin.earth ) 3•6 hours ago
Banana bottoms, what’s on a Monkeys mind…
- ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠 ( @Nemo@slrpnk.net ) English6•7 hours ago
Cut of the top of the pomegranate to see where the white “walls” between the five sections are, then cut through the skin vertically along those walls. The fruit can now be pulled apart easily into five sections that are much easier to handle so you can strip the arils from the pith gently without breaking them.
Eating green salads with chopsticks is a game-changer.
The best way to eat grapefruit is not with a spoon: rather, cut it into wedges across the segments then stick the whole wedge in your mouth and pull the flesh out from between the tough interstitial fibers with your teeth.
- Lvxferre ( @lvxferre@mander.xyz ) English7•7 hours ago
While not a food eating trick, chopsticks are also great when you’re deep-frying food - they allow you to firmly hold it for flipping, without piercing it or spooning oil.
- ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠 ( @Nemo@slrpnk.net ) English2•7 hours ago
Also great for whisking if you don’t have or can’t find a real whisk.
- Ephera ( @Ephera@lemmy.ml ) English6•7 hours ago
Is it illegal to eat the interstitial fibers of grapefruits? I just can them into rough slices with a knife and shove those wholesale into my mouth. 😅
- 🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦 ( @ZDL@ttrpg.network ) English1•7 hours ago
I use the spoon method for pomegranates.
For watermelon, I like to slice it in a grid with a knife before using a spoon to eat it. Then I don’t need a special spoon with serrations.