Grapefruit Cutter
How do you get at the sweet juicy pulp of a grapefruit without the mess and fuss–simple, use a grapefruit cutter. Grapefruit is truly a treasure, packed with vitamins and fiber, but, like any treasure, it is well protected. Not only does it have a thick outer skin, its insides are encased in a thick, white fiber known as pith. This pith holds the pulp together and gives the fruit its bitter taste. The good news is that if you effectively separate the pulp from the pith, you can enjoy a naturally sweet, wholesome meal. There are many effective ways to do this, but one of the easiest is to use a grapefruit cutter.
A grapefruit cutter is simply a device that easily and quickly separates the pulp from the outer skin and pith, so that you can focus on enjoying the fruit instead of worrying about mess or fuss. One of the most popular grapefruit cutters is made by a company called Orka (yes, like the whale) and can be purchased online. It is simple: cut the grapefruit in half, use the device to dig out the middle, and smash the the fruit over the blades, resulting in neat sections. Once you have the segments you can serve them on a plate as a snack, or use them to cook with.
There have been some complaints that the device does not work properly, and that it yields nothing but smashed pulp and juice. Apparently, this is due to user error. If you do purchase one, just make sure to press down hard on the grapefruit. Do not be gentle, smash it on to the grapefruit cutter in order to produce the segments. Otherwise you will end up with a mess.
Another tip is to use fruit that is roughly the same size as the grapefruit cutter so that it fits well and yields the desired segments. If the grapefruit is much too big or too small, it may not fit as well, leaving you with a disappointing soup of pulp and juice.
While the grapefruit cutter runs around ten dollars, there are even less expensive options for easy grapefruit preparation. One of these is the grapefruit knife. These are specially made knives with a serrated edge and slight curve. They are designed to effectively separate the pulp from the rind and pith, while minimizing squirting. There are many models of grapefruit knife, and they generally run around three to five dollars.
For aesthetes out there, another option besides a grapefruit cutter is a spoon and knife set. These sets will include a grapefruit knife, along with a few specially designed grapefruit spoons. Shaped to rescue the pulp from the tough membrane that holds it in place, these spoons are crafted with beauty in mind (usually) and will make eating breakfast an exciting experience.
There are many different utensils that make eating grapefruit easy and painless. Once you get the messiness out of the way, you will find that grapefruit is truly the queen of the citrus fruits, packed with sweet, healthy pulp and much needed fiber. Most of these utensils are inexpensive and made with an eye towards pleasing design. Try out a knife, a knife and spoon set, or a grapefruit cutter and see which one best suits your style.