Ripe kiwi fruits are refreshing, mildly tart, rich in vitamins, and easy to eat.
TIPS:
Kiwis are native to New Zealand (they’re named after the country’s kiwi bird) but are grown plentifully around the world and have a wonderfully fresh fruity flavor that’s a cross between bananas, strawberries and pineapple. They’re rich in vitamins A, C and E, and their black seeds, when crushed or chewed, are an excellent source of beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids.
Ripe kiwis are slightly tender to the touch. Usually, though, the fruit comes to market under-ripe and very firm. Step 1 below shows how to ripen kiwis easily at home. Just be aware ripening takes at least a few days—sometimes more than a week.
There’s more than one way to eat a kiwi. I’ll show you two ways here: cut in half and scoop; and peel, slice and chop.
Needed
Kiwis
Sharp Short Bladed (Paring) Knife
Cutting Board
Spoon (if you’re cutting the kiwi in half and scooping out the fruit)
Paper Bag (if needed—to ripen under-ripe kiwis)
1. To check kiwis for ripeness, hold them in one of your hands between your thumb and forefinger, and press the kiwi skin with your thumb using a little more pressure than you’d use to grip a pen firmly. The kiwi is ripe if it feels slightly soft to the touch and has an indent where you squeezed it with your thumb. If, however,…
…your kiwi is firm and doesn’t feel soft at all when squeezed, it is under-ripe. To ripen kiwis at home, put them in a paper bag (NOT plastic bag—plastic bags don’t allow for the air exchange needed for ripening; paper bags do), close the bag loosely, and store
them out of direct sunlight at room temperature for a least a few days or longer. Check every other day or so for ripeness as shown in the photos above and store ripened kiwis in the refrigerator.
How to Prepare Kiwis
See the directions directly below to cut kiwis in half and then scoop and eat them out of their skin. See the directions further below to peel, slice and chop kiwis.
To eat a kiwi right out of its skin, cut it in half cross sectionally, then use a teaspoon to scoop and lift the fruit from its skin.
To peel, slice and chop a kiwi, first use a sharp short bladed (paring) knife to cut under and around the stem patch so that the tough stem end can be removed in a single cone-shaped piece.
Remove the kiwi skin by making shallow cuts just underneath the skin lengthwise down the kiwi side, making sure to remove the bottom patch as shown in the picture on the right, until the kiwi looks about like…
…this.
Cut the skinned kiwi in half lengthwise. Cut each half again lengthwise into 2-3 slices, and then cut the slices in cross section into pieces 1/2 – 3/4 inch (12 – 20 mm) wide until what you have looks like…
…this.
See more Food on The Good Life.
Images courtesy of Bruce Tretter
Potato peeler works better on kiwis and mangos than a knife.
Thanks very much, ChundaMars! Gonna’ make that correction on my site right now. Really appreciate your catch – Bruce
Made the changes. Thanks again!
Not a problem!
Correction: Kiwifruit aren’t actually native to New Zealand, but came originally from China, and were known as Chinese gooseberries. Good marketing on our part though huh?