8 Easy Ideas And Recipes Using Oranges (2024)

FAQs

How are oranges used in cooking? ›

Experiment with orange zest in everything from marinades to salad dressing to desserts like Toasted Coconut and Orange Icebox Cookies. Nothing chases away the winter blues like fiery San Diego-Style Blue Corn Salmon Tacos with Orange-Habanero Hot Sauce.

Exfoliate your skin

Dip a cut orange in coarse, raw sugar and gently scrub your skin with it to exfoliate. “The coarse sugar removes the dead skin and oils and juices from the orange soften the skin,” one Taste of Home editor says. You can try this on your face, hands and feet.

Boosts the body's immune system to protect against viruses and germs. Improves iron absorption and fights anemia. Slows age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can lead to vision loss. Lowers blood pressure and cortisol, the stress hormone.

Boiling the oranges softens the peel of the oranges and makes them easier to chop finely in a food processor (or by hand). Also boiling the oranges tends to mellow the pith of the orange (the white part of the skin) - the pith tends to be quite bitter and could leave an unpleasant taste in the cake if it was used raw.

The heat caramelizes the sugars within, mellows the tartness, and concentrates the flavor, and also transforms membrane that can be so gummy and irksome when raw into a crunchy texture element. Peels, if left on, can soften gorgeously, their oils perfuming your home in the process.

Mandarin oranges have always been considered as a traditional symbol of good fortune. This is mainly because the word orange, when spoken in mandarin, sounds similar to the word “wealth”. The orange hue of the fruit is also said to symbolise “gold”, which makes it a very auspicious fruit.

Oranges prefer a cool, dark place. This makes the refrigerator an ideal place for storing oranges. Sunlight and warm temperatures will speed the ripening of oranges, decreasing their shelf life.

On the other hand, when drinking orange juice on an empty stomach, people with stomach problems are more susceptible to increased acid levels, leading to symptoms such as heartburn and worsening ulcers.

Navel oranges

Sweet, high in vitamin C, seedless and easy to peel, these varieties are most popularly used for snacking, but they're also great for zesting and cooking.

What is the healthiest way to eat an orange? ›

It's pretty straightforward, but Hartog says that the best way to eat an orange is to eat the whole fruit after peeling. But she says that eating an orange day isn't necessary and encourages everyone to eat a healthy mix of vegetables and fruits everyday.

You can store whole or sliced oranges for up to 12 months in the freezer. Orange juice and orange zest are best used within 6-9 months. Is it better to freeze oranges whole or sliced? Both work great.

Then there are the classic options: freeze lemon or lime juice for homemade lemonade in the summer; create a marmalade or preserves; make a lemon bar (or try a different citrus); or peel, segment and can your citrus.

The Best Way to Make Your Oranges Last Longer:

Store them in your refrigerator crisper drawer, as opposed to room temperature. If your garage is around the same temperature as your refrigerator, you can store them there too. Store with lemons and avocados in the crisper drawer to increase the shelf life.

To prolong the shelf life (up to 3-4 weeks) of citrus fruits, keep them in a bag in the refrigerator. Freezing: Citrus can be frozen in wedges, slices, zest, juice, or whole. By freezing citrus, you can use nearly every part of the fruit and always have it on hand to add to dishes and drinks. Always wash fruit first.