How to quickly get rid of that nasty white pith on your oranges and mandarins
That white pith on mandarins and oranges is a thing. I don’t know anyone who says: ‘No, I actually like that white stuff. Give me just the little strings!’ You either don’t have an opinion about it, or you find it disgusting. And in the latter case, you spend half an hour picking off little strings before you can eat an orange or mandarin without pith. That needs to be faster. We have more important things to do with our lives.
Luckily, there’s a method for getting rid of the white orange and mandarin pith in no time. Because of course there are people who think about these things. This problem is known worldwide, after all.
The anti-string hack
Okay, so you want to get rid of the white strings quickly. You find them bitter, think they have a gross texture or find them very unattractive. Or all of the above – much more likely. So what do you do? Briefly dip the orange or mandarin into boiling water. With the peel and everything. Boiling makes the peel of the citrus fruit softer, which means the white pith stays attached to the peel instead of the flesh. After a few seconds (no longer, or they’ll start cooking!), remove the fruit from the water.
Set it aside to cool. Once it has cooled enough, cut off the top and bottom of the fruit. Then make vertical cuts into the side of the peel. Carefully pull off the peel and voilà, you have a pith-free orange or mandarin in your hand. Simple, right? If there is still a little white string somewhere, remove it with a small knife. At least you haven’t spent hours picking at it.
Healthy white pith?
It certainly is delicious, an orange or mandarin without white pith. Much juicier and less bitter than with it. But did you know that the white strings on your orange and mandarin are actually very healthy? They are packed with fiber and pectin. Great for your digestion. So definitely eat them with the white pith sometimes too. We don’t always have to be so fussy, of course.
Orange: the star of countless dishes
White pith or not, we still love oranges and mandarins. Oranges in particular work well in all kinds of dishes. For example, try the combination of salmon, orange and pistachio from the Airfryer. Yes, we call it a Christmas showstopper, but believe us: this recipe is excellent all year round.
Or how about orange chicken? Chicken and orange are a match made in heaven. This will really impress everyone at the dinner table. If you like to keep things exciting with your oranges, turn them into drunken oranges. Who knew such an innocent vitamin C bomb could leave you hanging from the ceiling…
Also read:
- 10 foods that contain more vitamin C than oranges
- 7 tips: how to avoid mandarin disappointments
- Can I have a hamburger with… mandarins? And more weird combinations
