7 things to do with the oranges tucked away in a corner of your kitchen

Oranges are popular for their nutrients, rich in fibre, vitamin C, folate, thiamine and several antioxidants, which in turn result in several health benefits. In fact, according to the New York Times, the sale of oranges in US alone have seen a hike ever since the pandemic began: “In May, grocers sold 73 per cent more oranges than during the same month in 2019. Even into July, sales remained 52 per cent higher than a year before.”

If you have one too many oranges, here’s what you can do with it instead of letting it go bad:

1. Freeze it up

Cut a little sliver of the orange and place it in an ice tray. Pour in a little water and allow it to freeze overnight. You could then take the frozen cubes and add it to a glass of water. Or if you don’t want to freeze the pieces, squeeze the juice out and pour it directly on the ice tray.

2. Do you like sugar-coating things? Try this

Oranges come in different kinds and sizes, which is why your options are never limited. From store-bought oranges to Mandarin oranges, coating a slice or a piece of orange with sugar makes it the easiest way to eat candy without actually going out of the house. How do you make these? Here’s our recipe for glazed satsumas.

If you’re looking for a less gingery method, boil the orange slices in hot water and dip it into ice cold water. This is to remove the bitterness out of the fruit and to retain its texture. Once done, place it in a bowl of sugar and leave it to rest for the next 24 hours.

3. A little bit of zest

In need of an orange flavouring while you cook? All you need is an orange and a potato peeler. Or a box grater, or even a microplane will do just fine. Why these utensils in particular? Because it’s the cleanest way to zest your orange from the surface without touching the white part or pith of the orange’s skin.

4. Put it in a bottle

The sweetest way to use your oranges is to make a fully-prepped dessert out of it. One of the easiest ways is to make marmalade out of it. Not jam, marmalade. Once you do this, you could spread it on a slice of bread or even on top of a dessert if you like it like that. Even ice cream works!

5. Make orange concentrate

Did you know there are actually two ways in which you can make orange concentrate – frozen and boiled. When it comes to oranges, the first step is to juice a good amount of the fruit. Next, take another orange, slice the fruit evenly and add it to a pan of sugar and water. Once the mix thickens, add in the freshly squeeze orange juice and leave it to cool. Once done, strain out the peel and store it in bottles to keep inside a refrigerator.

6. Add it to meat

Ever heard of orange in meat? It tastes amazing. All you need are a few pieces of crispy meat which are then cooked in a mix of soy sauce and orange, with a few herbs and other spices to go with it of course. And if you don’t want too much of the fruit, well you could always add a zest of it.

7. Spark up your beauty regime

The trick to clear skin? Well, oranges can help. These citrusy fruits are best when sun-dried and then ground into a fine powder. Add a little bit of yoghurt, honey or even plain water, and you’ve got yourself a great scrub. But, do test on a small patch of skin first.

If you still have a lot more oranges or its peels, you could use it to keep the pesky little insects in your house away from your kitchen surfaces and other areas.

Know of more things to do with an orange or more? Tell us about it on food@gulfnews.com