36 free orange kitchen insights and benefits

Did you know that there is a variation of oranges that are green in colour?

• Because its peel has the tendency to reabsorb chlorophyll when cultivated in warm areas, one of the orange species, known as the Valencia Orange, is able to keep its green colour for a significant amount of time after it has reached full maturity while still retaining its name. In spite of the fact that, to the human sight, it seems to be unripe, the flavour is identical to that of a fully ripened orange.
• Oranges are said to have originated in either southern China or Malaysia. Oranges, despite the fact that they are currently cultivated in every region of the globe, trace their roots all the way back to southern China and Malaysia. After being taken to Europe for the first time from Asia, oranges were eventually brought to the Americas as well. This is a great segue into the following interesting fact about oranges.
• Oranges are not a naturally occurring fruit since they are a hybrid. It is believed that the pomelo and the mandarin both contributed genetic material to the development of the orange. It is unknown when precisely oranges were initially made, however it is known that the earliest hybrid oranges were incredibly hard to come by and quite costly. Everyone was able to take use of the wonderful properties of the orange only when it started being grown on a commercial scale and exported to other parts of the globe.
• Oranges come in more than 600 distinct varieties, in case you were wondering. The navel orange, blood orange, tangerine, mandarin, and clementine are the varieties that are consumed the most often. Some varieties are naturally sweeter than others, and some are more suited than others for making orange juice from freshly squeezed oranges.

Orange nutrition values and health benefits

1. One serving of oranges contains more than an entire day’s worth of the immune-boosting ingredient vitamin C, making them a superb source of this essential vitamin. Oranges are an excellent source of the bone-strengthening mineral calcium, as well as potassium, the B vitamins thiamine (B1) and folate, and the mineral potassium (B9). One medium-sized orange has more than half the amount of potassium that is found in one medium-sized banana (118g).
2. One orange, which is about the size of a medium orange, already fulfils 11% of your daily need for fibre. Dietary fibre is beneficial for your digestive health, but it also helps you maintain a healthy weight and lowers your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. These advantages are in addition to the fact that it keeps you from being constipated.
3. Oranges are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamin C, which is found in abundance in oranges. It plays a significant role in the creation of the proteins that are essential for maintaining young skin. Vitamin C is also involved in the process of preventing harm to cells, repairing damaged cells, and healing wounds.
4. One of the B vitamins known as thiamine may be found in oranges. Thiamine is found in oranges and supplies around 8% of the daily intake for adult women and 6% of the daily value for adult males. According to the findings of several research, those who consume a significant amount of thiamine have a lower probability of acquiring cataracts.
5. Oranges are a good source of another kind of B vitamin called folate. In its synthesised form, folate is referred to as folic acid because of its significance in the development of foetuses. Because a sufficient intake may help avoid birth abnormalities in the neural tube, women who are pregnant or attempting to conceive have an increased requirement to consume a diet rich in folate (and/or take folic acid supplements).
6. Oranges and other citrus fruits, including lemons and limes, typically do not provoke allergic responses in most people. If they occur, the symptoms are often not severe and include moderate discomfort as well as itching in the mouth. Oranges have also been linked to cases of oral allergy syndrome in certain individuals. The symptoms of oral allergy syndrome are caused by a cross-reaction between several kinds of pollen and a variety of meals. If you have hay fever, eating some fruits may cause symptoms such as an itchy mouth or throat in you. If you suffer from this condition, avoid these fruits.
7. Strong photosensitizers, or compounds that cause sensitivity to light, may be found in citrus fruits like oranges and lemons. If you are going to be in the sun for an extended period of time, you should thoroughly wash your hands after handling citrus juice and peels.
8. The “grapefruit juice effect” may be traced back to furanocoumarins, which are found in citrus fruits like grapefruit and other citrus fruits. Oranges with a sweet flavour, such as navel and Valencia, do not include these chemicals, which might create potentially harmful interactions when taken with certain medications.

100g of Orange has 47 calories (196kj), 0.9g protein, 0.1g fat, and 12g carbs, including 2.4g fibre.

How to store oranges and how to buy them

• Choose oranges that have a skin that is smooth, has a fine texture, and does not have any soft patches. Oranges should be hefty for their size. Oranges should not have any cuts, bruises, or other imperfections. Scars may form on the peel where a young fruit has brushed against the tree, but these superficial imperfections do not impair the quality of the fruit after it has been harvested. And that is all you need to keep in mind while selecting this citrus fruit from the aisles of the supermarket or the stalls at the farmer’s market.
• You may store them at room temperature in the pantry or even in a fruit basket in the kitchen, whichever is most convenient for you. They retain more of their juices this manner, but their shelf life is significantly shortened. If you know that you are going to consume those fresh oranges within the next several days, this is the best choice to go with.
• The second option is to chill the oranges in the refrigerator. They will not be as juicy, but in return for that, you gain a shelf life that is far longer. If you are purchasing in quantity during a sale, or if a member of your family or a friend who owns an orchard contributed part of their crop with you, this is the ideal choice for you.
• Oranges may be frozen for later use if there are more oranges on hand than there are opportunities to utilise. Even if there are just a few things you can do with frozen oranges, freezing them is still a better alternative than throwing them away.
• Juicing oranges is a fast and efficient way to use up a large quantity of oranges. Many people like drinking orange juice in the morning since it is a good source of vitamin C and a tasty beverage. The one and only drawback of making your own orange juice is that it will only keep for a few days; however, you can get around this problem by freezing the orange juice.
• Oranges that are still whole have a shelf life of around 10 to 14 days when stored at room temperature and between 21 days and a month when stored in the refrigerator. Oranges that have been cut will only keep for around three to four days in the refrigerator. Oranges, in contrast to raisins made from dried grapes, are completely inedible once they have reached this stage of dehydration.
• There are a number of potential pitfalls to watch out for when purchasing almost any kind of food product. Begin with the orange in its entirety and look for these things:
  • It is okay for the fruit to have minor discolorations on the rind (dots, etc.), but you should throw it away if it develops mould.
  • If the fruit seems to be in good condition, give it a little squeeze. It need to have a little bit of give, but not a lot. It is time to get rid of it if it has become very soft, mushy, or dried out.
  • You should toss the orange if it has lost its zesty scent and smells weird (or strange).
  • If your specimen has made it through all of the previous inspections, you may now peel it and examine the insides of it. Again, be sure to look for any changes in the way the colour, texture, and smell of the food.
  • In the event that everything seems to be in order, the last step is to sample its flavour. If it does so with flying colours, then you may congratulate yourself; that orange is in excellent condition. If it has an average flavour, the decision to consume it or throw it away is entirely up to you. Get rid of the citrus fruit immediately if you find that it has an unpleasant flavour.

Cooking techniques, secrets, and tips from the kitchen

1. The consistency of marmalade is comparable to that of jam or jelly, although it is often prepared with some kind of citrus. In most cases, it contains fruit peel, which imparts a characteristic fragrant bitterness to the condiment. The most well-known preparations include citrus fruits including orange, kumquat, and grapefruit as their primary ingredients. This homemade orange marmalade is a lovely blend of sweet and bitter flavours, and it will leave your kitchen with a scent that is hard to resist. Additionally, it will leave you with jars full of delightful orange goodness that will last for weeks. Spread it over toast, biscuits, or muffins, or use it to fill the layers of a cake or thumbprint cookies.
2. It is really quite simple to can your own orange slices at home. The most time-consuming and difficult aspect is peeling the slices with as much care as possible. A strong and unpleasant taste may be absorbed from the can as a result of the white pith that adheres to the skins of the segments. These days, many new types of mandarins, clementines, and tangerines are developed for simple peeling so that the task at hand is not as challenging as it formerly was. Because every citrus fruit has an acid content that is sufficiently high, it may be preserved in water alone when canned.
3. Oranges are a common fruit in Moroccan cuisine, appearing in both savoury and sweet preparations. Both the juice and the zest are used in the preparation of tagines, as well as in the baking of cakes and as the primary components of sauces, such as this straightforward orange dessert sauce. The orange juice and zest are simmered in some sugar until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy, and then butter is stirred in to finish up the preparation of this sweet sauce with a hint of sourness. Because of the intensity of its taste, a very tiny quantity of this orange sauce is all that is required to impart a delectable citrus note into a variety of sweets, including crepes, cake, ice cream, and custards.
4. Fruit, particularly fresh fruit, is often served as a sweet treat, snack, and component of the Greek breakfast spread. It is wonderful when eaten on its own, but you can make it even tastier by adding a drizzle of delicious Greek honey. This recipe offers a wonderful touch regardless of whether the oranges are sliced or broken up into bits.
   • Remove the peels and cut the oranges into segments (or slice).
   • Place on a serving platter, and sprinkle with honey before serving.
   • You may choose to add a little dusting of ground cinnamon, but it is not required.
5. As a breakdown agent in marinades, bitter oranges are a common ingredient in dishes prepared using Caribbean cuisine. They are often referred to as sour oranges, and they provide a one-of-a-kind citrus taste to any kind of meat that you would choose to cook. The pig turns out very delicious when prepared with this marinade, but the chicken comes out equally delicious when prepared with it. Trees, notably the citrus aurantium tree, are required for the development of bitter oranges.
6. A traditional Hollandaise sauce is transformed into Maltaise Sauce by including the orange juice from blood oranges into the mixture. It has a tangy flavour and is somewhat sweeter than a traditional Hollandaise sauce. Asparagus or broccoli is the typical vegetable to accompany the sauce called Maltaise. Now, blood oranges are not always easy to come by, but they are necessary for achieving the desired hue in the sauce. During the winter months, they often reach their highest number of visitors. Therefore, you may use normal oranges as a stand-in if you are unable to get any blood oranges.
7. A recipe for tasty chilled red wine sangria is the ideal accompaniment to a romantic meal since it features red wine. Prepared using any kind of red wine, an orange liqueur with brandy as the basis (such as Grand Marnier), apples, oranges, and lime. Sangrias made with pears and cranberries are a delicious twist on the traditional sangria served during the winter holidays. This refreshing beverage is a summertime favourite that can be made in a variety of delicious seasonal versions.

History of oranges from the beginning until today

• The sweet orange was first mentioned in Chinese writing around 314 B.C.
• The orange was first planted commercially in the 10th century in the Iberian Peninsula (also known as Al-Andalus) in Europe, thanks to the Moors, who brought sophisticated irrigation methods developed especially for orange groves.
• The Emirate of Sicily brought citrus fruits, such as the bitter orange, to Sicily in the 9th century. However, it was not until the late 15th or early 16th century that Italian and Portuguese merchants brought orange trees into the Mediterranean region from the Mediterranean region, and the sweet orange finally made its way to the area.
• There was a lot of buzz about delicious oranges in Europe by 1646. King Louis XIV of France loved oranges so much that he built the grandest Orangery ever seen at the Palace of Versailles. With the construction of an orangerie that could be used throughout the year, oranges could be grown and supplied to the court at Versailles.
• Spanish explorers were the ones to introduce this tasty fruit to the Americas. On his second voyage to the New World in 1493, Christopher Columbus may have cultivated the fruit on Hispaniola. Later expeditions in the 1500s brought sweet oranges to South and Mexico, and in 1565, when Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine in Florida, he brought them there as well.
• From 1707 to 1710, Spanish missionaries brought orange trees to Arizona, and in 1769, Franciscans did the same in San Diego, California. In 1804, the San Gabriel Mission planted an orchard, and by 1841, Los Angeles had its first commercial orchard. French explorers are credited with introducing oranges to Louisiana.
• The Vancouver Expedition’s botanist and naturalist, Archibald Menzies, obtained orange seeds in South Africa, nurtured the seedlings on board, and sent them to a number of Hawaiian chiefs in 1792. Eventually, the sweet orange was grown over most of the Hawaiian Islands, but the introduction of the Mediterranean fruit fly in the early 1900s put an end to that.
• During the Age of Discovery, sailors from Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands planted citrus trees along trade routes to avoid the spread of scurvy since oranges are rich in vitamin C and do not degrade easily.
• In 1872, Florida farmers imported sour orange rootstocks from New Orleans in order to graft sweet oranges onto them. This resulted in the first orange plantations in Florida.
• Oranges were produced all over the globe in 2022, with a total of 75 million tonnes. Brazil was the leading producer, accounting for 22% of the total, followed by India, China, the United States of America, and Mexico as other notable producers.