Cutting oranges for marmalade involves a few key steps to prepare the fruit and slice the peel appropriately.
Preparation
Before you begin slicing, it's helpful to prepare both your fruit and your tools.
- Chill the fruit: As suggested by "Chill out!", chilling the oranges can make them easier to handle and slice precisely.
- Sharpen your knife: Ensure your "favorite knife" is sharp to achieve clean cuts, which is crucial for even pieces of peel.
Cutting Steps for Marmalade
Once prepared, follow these steps to cut your oranges according to the provided method:
- Slice Along the Stem: Begin by slicing the fruit lengthwise, "along the stem".
- Notch and Remove Pith: "Notch the fruit to remove the pith from the center". The pith is the bitter white part under the peel.
- Finely Slice the Fruit: "Turn the pieces over, then finely slice the fruit." This is typically done to get thin strips of peel and fruit segments for the marmalade.
- Deal with the Odds and Ends: Finally, you will need to "Deal with the odds and ends", handling any smaller or irregular pieces that result from the main slicing.
These steps ensure you process the orange sections and peel effectively for your marmalade batch.
Here's a summary of the cutting actions:
| Step No. | Action | Resulting Cut/Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slice along the stem | Halves or segments (implied) |
| 2 | Notch & remove pith | Center pith discarded |
| 3 | Turn & finely slice | Thin strips or small pieces |
| 4 | Deal with odds & ends | Utilization of remaining pieces |
Following this process, from preparing the fruit and knife to slicing and handling leftover pieces, will help you prepare your oranges correctly for making marmalade.
