cutting a pomegranate!

this post is a tutorial: how to cut a pomegranate.

but, really, i'll be honest and say its not quite as impressive as it sounds, as i looked up all this stuff about five minutes before i did it myself.

still, its a fun party trick, and these are the un-crappiest pics my camera and i have ever taken.

so.

i give you...a pomegranate:

first, place it on a cutting board, but do not forget to protect that cutting board with a paper towel, because the pomegranate (hereafter known as pom) stains.

and cut off both ends of the pom.

now take your knife and make four cuts at the four 'corners' of the pom. they should should go all the way through the red 'rind', but stop at the white part, which is called the 'pith.'

and then put it in a bowl and submerge it underwater. and now, prepare yourself, for what comes next is actually a beautiful picture. i realize it was probably an accident, but i took it and i don't care. at some point it will probably become my wallpaper:

now plunge your hands in and separate the seeds from the rind and the pith. the whole point is to do this underwater so that the juice won't squirt you in the face and/or stain you, your clothes, your countertop, you best friend, ruin relationships, etc. here i am breaking apart the pom:

and here it is a little later on after taking out some of the seeds. you'll notice the pom seeds sink and the pith floats. this is helpful.

and here is a shot of the leftover refuse in the other part of the sink. even this is pretty.

and speaking of stuff you don't want, use a skimmer or your hands to get the pith out (please ignore the raisin-esque state of my hands at this point):

and drain in a colandar.

after this, eat. but don't be overwhelmed by their beauty and eat the whole thing at once, because you might get sicky. not that this happened to me.