The cleanest way to cut a pomegranate is to score the skin only, pull the fruit apart along its natural sections, and release the seeds in a bowl of water. The seeds sink, the white pith floats, and the juice stays underwater instead of on your shirt and the backsplash. It takes about five minutes and every seed comes out whole.

Pomegranates are in season in the United States from October through January, which puts them on Thanksgiving salads, holiday cheese boards and winter desserts. The fruit’s reputation for mess comes from cutting it straight through the middle with a knife, which slices through dozens of juice-filled seeds at once. The method below avoids that.

Choose a good pomegranate

A ripe pomegranate feels heavy for its size, which means it is full of juice. The skin should be firm and leathery, deep red to reddish-brown, and slightly squared off rather than round; the flat sides show the seeds inside are plump and pressing outward. Small surface scratches do not matter. Avoid fruit with soft spots or cracks.

The juicy seeds are called arils.

What you need

  • A sharp paring knife.
  • A cutting board set on a damp towel so it cannot slide.
  • A large bowl filled with 2 to 3 inches of cold water.
  • A fine-mesh strainer.
  • An apron, or a dark shirt.

Pomegranate juice stains fabric and can mark light stone counters. On a wooden or bamboo board, wipe it up soon and wash the board with hot soapy water before the juice has time to set.

Step 1: Remove the crown

Lay the pomegranate on its side on the board. Cut a shallow cone around the crown, the flower end, angling the knife inward about 1/2 inch deep, and lift it off. You will see the white membranes that divide the fruit into sections, radiating from the center like spokes.

Step 2: Score along the ridges

Look at the outside of the fruit. Its slightly flattened sides line up with the internal membranes. Using the tip of the paring knife, score the skin from top to bottom along each ridge, usually four to six of them. Cut only through the red skin, about 1/8 inch deep. You are not cutting into the seeds.

This is the step that prevents the splatter. The knife never passes through the seeds, so it never bursts them.

Step 3: Open it under water

Hold the pomegranate in the bowl of water, below the surface. Put your thumbs into the hole at the top and gently pull the fruit apart along the scored lines. It will open into sections, like a flower.

Still working under the water, push the seeds away from the membrane with your fingers. They come free with little pressure. Any juice that bursts stays in the bowl.

Step 4: Skim and strain

The seeds sink to the bottom. The white pith and membrane float to the top. Skim off the floating pieces with your hand or a slotted spoon and discard them. Then pour the water and seeds through a fine-mesh strainer, and spread the seeds on a towel to dry for a few minutes.

Without the water bowl

If you prefer not to use water, there is a dry method. Score and open the fruit as above, then hold each section seed-side down over a bowl and tap the back of the skin firmly with a wooden spoon. The seeds fall out. Some juice will spray, so work low and close to the bowl, ideally in the sink.

Storing pomegranate seeds

Refrigerate the seeds in an airtight container for about five to seven days. To freeze, spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray, freeze for an hour until firm, then transfer them to a bag. Frozen seeds keep for months and go straight onto salads or into drinks.

How to use them

  • Scatter them over a winter cheese board for color and a sweet-tart bite.
  • Toss them into a Thanksgiving salad of greens, pear and toasted pecans.
  • Spoon them over roasted squash, yogurt, or chocolate desserts.
  • Add them to sparkling water or a holiday punch.

After cutting

Wash the knife and the board right away, while the juice is fresh. On a bamboo board, hot water and a little dish soap lift the color; for any lingering mark, scrub with coarse salt and half a lemon, rinse, and dry the board on its edge. The WONAMU. bamboo cutting board has a perimeter juice groove that holds the juice released while scoring. For any stain that stays, how to remove stains and odors from a cutting board goes further.

The short version

Cut a shallow cone to remove the crown. Score the skin along each ridge without cutting into the seeds. Pull the fruit apart under a bowl of water and push the seeds free. Skim off the floating pith, strain, and dry. Every seed comes out whole, and none of them on the wall.

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WONAMU. makes a bamboo cutting board designed for daily prep, 12 × 9 inches, bamboo, with a perimeter juice groove. Available on Amazon.

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