Sectioning an orange isn’t a difficult task but it does involve an annoying number of steps. First, you’ve got to peel it and remove the pith without damaging the flesh. Then you have to cut neatly into each portion, one by one, to make a series of perfect crescent-shaped segments. And even if you’re not looking to segment your orange in this fancy way, as top chefs do, you’ll still need to peel it, pull off all the stringy bits, and separate it into pieces before you can eat it. Luckily, there’s an effortless hack to section an orange in almost no time that doesn’t require any peeling: Simply cut it in half without removing the skin and turn it inside out to reveal the citrusy segments inside.
This two-step hack is superb for prepping all types of oranges, from large thick-skinned navels to fragrant blood oranges that boast a tart ruby-red flesh. It even works on smaller types of oranges, such as mandarins and clementines that make perfect on-the-go snacks. Whichever variety you choose to section, just be sure to invert it slowly but confidently after you’ve halved it to avoid making a juicy mess on your kitchen counter.
How to section an orange without peeling it
Place your unpeeled orange on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to slice straight through the middle to create two equal hemispheres. Then take one half, place your hand on the side that still has the peel on it, and push upwards to invert the segments: It can help to imagine you’re turning the orange inside out. At this point, the pith on the inside of the peel should be visible and you should be left with half of an inside-out orange. Then you can easily remove each orange segment with your fingers before repeating the same process with the remaining half.
This hack bears some similarity to the way mangoes are inverted after they’re scored with a knife to create a series of grid marks on their yellow flesh. However, the key difference here is that you’ll still need the aid of your sharp knife to cut the cubes of mango off the inside-out skin. In contrast, when you invert a halved orange, your fingers are the only tools you’ll need to neatly remove each juicy segment from the peel.
Enjoy your orange segments as they are, toss them into a fruit salad, or use them to decorate dreamy no-bake orange dreamsicle dessert bars. If you have more time, you could even dip them in melted chocolate and sprinkle over some chopped nuts to create cute miniature snacks that are juicy, chocolatey, and crunchy all in one bite.
