How To Cut A Grapefruit Without Ending Up In The ER

Grapefruits are nutritional powerhouses, providing high amounts of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins C and A. This makes them a healthy snack or a popular addition to any well-balanced breakfast. However, cutting or peeling a grapefruit in order to eat it can feel tedious (not to mention, a bit dangerous without proper knife skills). Luckily, there are methods to ensure you get a safe cut of your grapefruit every time, so you can eat more of the fruit without ending up in the ER. 

To cut a grapefruit carefully, you'll want to make shallow incisions through the peel and cut from the top of the grapefruit to the bottom. Then, turn the fruit and repeat this step two or three times. This will allow you to cleanly remove the peel by hand in sections. This fruit can be difficult and unwieldy to cut at times because of the bitter layer of white pith underneath the thick outer peel. It takes a sharp knife and very careful precision to cut off this unpleasant, tough membrane, without discarding the actual grapefruit flesh and juice. This can be time-consuming and risky. But if you cautiously cut the peel with a knife and go a little deeper into the flesh, you'll be able to cut your grapefruit while removing the pith too. 

With careful knife skills, in addition to lengthwise cuts, you can also cut your grapefruit in half horizontally. The tricky part comes in when you have to scoop out each piece of the grapefruit with a spoon. While some invest in a grapefruit spoon, which is a slimmer, pointed spoon that has sharp edges, most take their grapefruit half and run a small knife along the circumference of the fruit, where the flesh meets the peel. 

To do so, start at the center of your grapefruit half and cut diagonally along the membrane line until you reach the outer peel. Then rotate your fruit and continue this process until each section has loosened. This will allow you to scoop out your bite-sized pieces of grapefruit seamlessly while avoiding any bitter pith or tough texture. Alternatively, there are lots of ways to peel fruit quickly – you can also peel your grapefruit like an orange and pick off any excess membrane with your hands. 

For fun, transportable fruit, you can use a knife to cut your grapefruit into wedges with the peel still intact, giving you the ability to bite into the middle of each piece without much mess. Ultimately, cutting a grapefruit can have many different approaches depending on your taste preferences and how much time you have. Whatever you choose, just remember to cut your grapefruit carefully.