We Tried Every Possible Way to
Deseed a Pomegranate. Here's the
Best
What is it about deseeding a pomegranate that feels like a puzzle
game à la Bejeweled? (Gotta release all those little gems!) Despite
trying various techniques—the segmenting method, the spoon
beating method, the Martha method—we’d inevitably end up with
a low score. Read: Seeds crushed or left behind. Or worse:
Pomegranates flying across the room—game over.
Fears and previous failures aside, we decided to master the art of
extraction. Our mission: Test every known method for digging out
pomegranate seeds so we could save you the trouble.
Without a doubt, this is the ultimate combo move for yielding a
new high score—and plenty of juicy seeds too.
Step 1
Score the fruit around the midline. Cut deep
enough to pierce the skin, but shallow
enough that you don’t cut into the seeds
inside.
Step 2
Pull apart the two halves. (Put your thumbs
into the cuts and yank the pomegranate
open, if need be.)
Step 3
Submerge the two halves in a bowl of water
and gently push the edges down and away
to open the fruit. The water will soften the
pith (the white tissue under the skin of the
fruit).
Step 4
Turn the half upside down and thwack the
bejeezus out of it with the back of a spoon.
Seeds will tumble out into your hand and
the bowl of water below.
Step 5
Inspect your handiwork. Look at the
pomegranate half and release any stragglers
with your hands or another whack of the
spoon.
Step 6
Seeds will sink to the bottom. Scoop any floating pith out of the water with a
slotted spoon or sieve.
Step 7
Drain the water. Now you have
pomegranate seeds, ready to eat!