Fortunately, Zespri Kiwifruit’s versatility means you can easily control the ripening process. Aside from being little powerhouses of nutrition, kiwis are refreshingly delicious. Their unique flavor is unlike any other fruit, and despite their odd form, preparing them is actually quite easy.
If you have none of these fruits in your pantry, you can also bury the kiwi in a container of uncooked rice, which traps in the kiwi’s own ethylene. If it yields to the slight pressure, the fruit is ripe. If it doesn’t and still feels hard, the fruit is not ready to eat.
Kiwifruit contains a special enzyme called actinidin, which splits and dissolves protein. If you add kiwifruit to products rich in protein, it begins to break the protein down, which explains why your kiwifruit milkshake starts to curdle if you leave it too long. On the other hand, the protein-dissolving actinidin enzyme also makes kiwifruit a natural meat tenderiser.
HOW TO : eat, choose & store, ripen, FAQS
There’s no core to cut around, the skin’s too thin to peel cleanly, and a ripe kiwi can easily turn to mush in your hand. Check if a kiwi’s ripe by pressing it gently with your thumb — if it yields to slight pressure, it’s ripe. Look for Zespri Kiwifruit that is semi-firm to touch, unblemished and with no soft, bruised spots or wrinkled skin.
You can eat the whole of your Zespri Kiwifruit, including the skin. If you’re not too keen on the fine hairs on the Zespri Green Kiwifruit, simply brush them off before you take a bite. As with any other fruit you eat unpeeled, make sure you rinse the kiwifruit first. A firm Zespri Kiwifruit that is stored at room temperature will take about 2-3 days to ripen. The Misen paring knife is the perfect size to slice and dice a kiwi.
- Ripe kiwifruit are then best stored in the refrigerator.
- Since they can be harvested while still hard, they are more durable and stand up to shipping.
- To store the dish for a longer period of time, you need to cook the kiwifruit before using it.
Simply peel and mash a kiwifruit and spread the pulp on a tough cut of meat. Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes; then, lightly scrape the kiwifruit off the meat, discarding the kiwifruit. The meat becomes wonderfully soft, ready for immediate frying, barbecuing or roasting. Place the kiwi in a paper bag alongside other fruit to help speed up the process. Yes, but if you use uncooked kiwifruit in a dish containing a milk product or gelatine, you need to eat it very soon afterwards. If you want to be able to store the dish for a longer period of time, you need to cook the kiwifruit before using it.
Cooking with kiwifruit. . .
Its brown skin doesn’t change color, like a papaya’s or banana’s does, and its size is almost irrelevant — small kiwis taste the same as large ones. So aside from staying away from obvious blemishes or wrinkles on the skin, the only way to pick a good kiwi is by feel. Or looking for a unique twist like adding cornflakes to a muffin, or lemon filling in a blueberry layer cake? This seasonal collection has over 75 fresh blueberry recipes for you to enjoy. Blueberry & lemon Lemon and blueberries are a classic flavor… The enzyme found in kiwis (actinidin) is very effective without making the meat mushy (which can happen with the bromelain enzyme in pineapple).
The Zespri Gold Kiwifruit is usually soft and ready to eat when you buy it. It’s best to buy Zespri Green Kiwifruit when they are still firm, and then leave the fruit to ripen for a while. Store ripened kiwifruit in the fridge, as they taste best when chilled. Freezing your kiwifruit means you’ll always have kiwifruit on hand when you need one.
Some are best suited for summer (like kiwi-strawberry tartlets) when summer produce is in season, others are good for the rest of the year (like korean bulgogi). Ripening process can be hastened if placed in a bag with apples or bananas. Since they can be harvested while still hard, they are more durable and stand up to shipping. This provides us with high quality options no matter where we live, or the time of year. A stable cutting board is essential for any sort of slicing.
EAT
With a little bit of time and practice, you’ll be enjoying fresh scoops, slices, and stars of kiwi in no time. The advantage of keeping the skin on a kiwi is that it won’t release too much juice, which makes for better eating and easier cleanup. A presentable way to do this is by cutting the kiwi into tiny watermelon-like wedges.
- Homemade nasturtium vinegar has that classic peppery flavor and can be used just as regular vinegar.
- If you have none of these fruits in your pantry, you can also bury the kiwi in a container of uncooked rice, which traps in the kiwi’s own ethylene.
- A stable cutting board is essential for any sort of slicing.
- The Zespri Green Kiwifruit can be rather firm when you buy it.
- The enzyme found in kiwis (actinidin) is very effective without making the meat mushy (which can happen with the bromelain enzyme in pineapple).
- But instead of cutting the kiwi in half, use the knife to cut off both ends — the tough stem and blossom part.
(Underripe kiwis usually have a hard core and a slight astringent taste.) If it’s too soft, the fruit is overripe and will be difficult to slice. A better option for these softer kiwis would be to blend them into a shake, smoothie, or refreshing summer sorbet. The Zespri Green Kiwifruit can be rather firm when you buy it.
Before you can enjoy kiwifruit, however, it’s got to be ripe. Continue poking the knife along the midline of the kiwi, creating a zigzag shape (similar to the design on Charlie Brown’s shirt). Make sure the cuts are deep enough to reach the center of the fruit. When you’ve made your way completely around, firmly grip both ends of the kiwi and separate the halves. You should have an impressive star shape on both sides. Once ripe, however, it’s best to store kiwi far from other fruits, as it’s very sensitive to ethylene gas and tends to over-ripen, even in the refrigerator.
If you don’t want it to ripen too quickly, keep it separate from apples and bananas. We mentioned before that other fruits, like apples, oranges, bananas and pears, give off ethylene, which speeds up the ripening process of kiwifruit. For most methods, cutting a kiwi only requires three basic tools — a paring knife, a cutting board, and a tablespoon. While it’s also possible to use a vegetable peeler, a paring knife is a much better option. It allows you to better gauge the pressure applied to the fruit. A kiwi is ripe and ready to eat when it is soft and aromatic.
RIPEN
Store kiwifruit at room temperature to hasten ripening. Ripe kiwifruit are then best stored in the refrigerator. If you use uncooked kiwifruit in a dish containing a milk product or gelatine, you need to eat it very soon afterwards. To store the dish for a longer period of time, you need to cook the kiwifruit before using it. If it gives a little, it is ripe, ready, and at its best. A store-bought kiwifruit might be perfectly ripe for one person, but not quite ready for someone else.
One of the best ways to enjoy Zespri Kiwifruit is to cut it in half and scoop the flesh out with a spoon. An easy, informal way to eat a kiwi is to scoop it out with a spoon. The best cutting boards for cutting a kiwi is one with grooves or trenches that can catch all the fruit’s juice. Homemade nasturtium vinegar has that classic peppery flavor and can be used just as regular vinegar. I use it all summer to make salad dressings and dash it into soups or on top of vegetables that need a splash of flavor. They have a very peppery taste, not unlike arugula….
This allows kiwis to be harvested while hard, but continue to develop flavor, increase sugars, and soften. But instead of cutting the kiwi in half, use the knife to cut off both ends — the tough stem and blossom part. A tablespoon is optional, depending on how you plan to cut up your kiwi. But since every kitchen is more than likely to have flatware, keep one on hand in case you decide to use one of the slice and scoop methods below. If you’ve never done it before, however, cutting a kiwi can pose quite a challenge.
As far as fruits go, kiwis are one of the most surprising. Their fuzzy brown exterior belies a juicy, bright green flesh speckled with crunchy, little black seeds. And their small size — not much larger than an egg — can be cut in many ways, from standard slices to fun star shapes. The milder flavor of sweet onions make them perfect for recipes that use a lot of onions, or where the onion flavor shouldn’t be strong. They aren’t actually sweeter than regular yellow or red onions, they just have less of the characteristic ‘bite’ that onions are known for.