How to Properly Eat a Grapefruit

Grapefruit half with grapefruit spoon

The tartness of grapefruit makes it a perfect accompaniment to any meal of the day. Many people prefer to have a grapefruit half with their breakfast, but unless you know how to properly eat a grapefruit, you will likely have a difficult time. A grapefruit spoon makes eating this citrus in halves much easier. These are teaspoons with serrated edges and a head shaped like a triangle. This shape allows the grapefruit spoon to cut into each section of the grapefruit and pull it away from the thick membrane. There is also a no-fail method to eating grapefruit which will also be outlined below.

Things You'll Need

• Paring knife
• Grapefruit
• Grapefruit (serrated) spoon
• Flat-bottomed bowl

Instructions

Using a Grapefruit Spoon

1. Wash the exterior of the grapefruit. This will remove any pesticides or preservative coatings that could be deposited on the knife when you cut through the rind.

2. Cut the fruit in half across the middle. You will have two halves with a cross-section of all of the grapefruit sections visible, as in the photo. Insert the tip of the grapefruit spoon into one half of the fruit between two membranes, next to the rind. The spoon in the image at the top is in the correct starting position.

3. Push the spoon down into the grapefruit section and move it around the membranes to let the serrated edges of the spoon cut the fruit section away from the rind.

4. 

   Remove the loosened grapefruit section and eat it directly off of the grapefruit spoon. Repeat until the entire half is finished. See the image for what the finished grapefruit should look like.

Sectioning

1. Wash the grapefruit rind and cut slices 1/2 inch from the top and 1/2 inch from the bottom from the fruit. You should be able to see the grapefruit inside. You will have a flat top and bottom to make cutting and peeling the grapefruit easier.

2. Holding the grapefruit in a flat-bottomed bowl, insert the tip of the paring knife in the top of the grapefruit between the white pith and the fruit.

3. Guide the knife between the white pith and the fruit down along the side to the bottom of the grapefruit until you have cut a section of the peel with the pith off.

4. Continue to cut the remaining pith away from the exterior of the fruit until the white, bitter pith and peel have all been cut away.

5. Slide your knife along either side of each of the membranes and pull each loosened grapefruit section out. The bowl will catch any juice that might fall out. Use the juice in recipes, and eat each grapefruit section whole. The sections can also be added to salads, desserts or used as a substitute for other citrus fruits.

References

• Seasonal Produce: Grapefruit