Out of Hand

[vakkotaur]

What fruits can be eaten "out of hand," that is, like an apple or pear, without any need for even peeling? Or at least no need for peeling with a knife?

I can think of a few: apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines. I suppose grapes and berries would count for this as well. Bananas need peeling, but no knife is needed.

That seems a pretty short list. I suspect there's more. Anything that should be added to that list?

Comments

[hakeber.livejournal.com]

Oranges may need peeling, but I've always just used my fingers to do that.

[aedifica]

Peeling the orange gets all messy, though. Inconvenient for those of us who need to switch back and forth between fruit and typing.

Hmm. Apples, pears, nectarines, apricots, plums, pluots, peaches, cherries, other berries, fruit cocktail (if you have a spoon or fork)... tomatoes if you like them plain...

I'll be watching this post in case someone comes up with something I haven't thought of.

[hakeber.livejournal.com]

Ok, that's true.

Not just a fork, but maybe a toothpick? To keep fingers clean? Then maybe a bowl or plate of whatever would be easier and less messy to eat?

Kiwi fruit are usually eaten whole. Technically, they're classed as a berry. A really big berry. Also persimmons, but those are messy no matter how you eat them.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

I hadn't considered canned fruit, but that does open up a few more possibilities, at least for occasional use.

[malterre.livejournal.com]

Buddha's Hand Citron

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

One fruity favorite of mine is to buy a can of pineapple in its own juice, eat the pineapple, then drink the juice. Probably a lot more calories than eating pineapple alone, but it's really tasty and convenient.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Most citrus fruit can be eaten that way as well, though it takes a little more practice and sometimes a bit of fingernail or a nip into the bitter skin to get started.

The avocado is a candidate too, with the same proviso. At the proper degree of ripeness, the skin will split and peel off like a banana.

Tomatoes are fruits, and those of us who like them will eat them out of hand. Cherry tomatoes are even easier.

[haystack.livejournal.com]

Kumquats -- a citrus-like fruit that looks like miniature, round or ellipsoid oranges -- are good for eating with no preparation at all other than washing. They're bite-sized, too. The ones I've had tasted a lot like oranges (right down to the skin's bitterness). They can be a bit expensive and hard to find, though, if you don't live close to a part of the US that grows them (mainly Florida and California!). They also have just about the silliest-sounding name, ever.

Sadly, the best kind of of Kumquat for eating like this isn't the one normally found in a US grocery store. :( The ones we do get aren't bad, though.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Kumquats are on the bitter side for me, though one or two makes a nice change once in a while. It is interesting that you can eat the skin, and the skin is often sweeter than the pulp.

[haystack.livejournal.com]

I don't eat them terribly often, either, but since bitter flavors don't seem to register as strongly for me as "bad" as they do for some other folks, I like them. They are certainly a nice change from the ordinary (as are pomegranates... so very messy, though).

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cherries
Dates
Figs
Grapes
Kiwi Fruit
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, tangerines. Easiest to peel of all citrus. Usually sweet and tasty. Unfortunately, usually full of more seeds than you could even count.

The exception being the Clementine, which is pretty much seedless, but smaller so you have to peel two of them instead of one. :)

[https://users.livejournal.com/-dakko/]

Mandarin oranges peel at least as easily as bananas, though they tend to be seasonal. There are a few odd ones like the apple-pear - a large yellow fruit that is shaped like an oversize apple and is crunchy, but has a pear-like flavour. Cherries are in season at the moment.