A paring knife or a larger carving knife works well. Don’t use a chopping knife because the flat cutting edge of the knife makes it harder to use. To test the knife, try to slice into the fruit’s skin. If the knife doesn’t slice easily, get a sharper one or sharpen the knife.
If you have a counter made for cutting, or you don’t mind nicks, the cutting board is not absolutely necessary.
If your knife is sharp enough, you’ll be able to slice straight through the peel. If the knife is a bit dull, spin the orange as you cut until you remove the slice.
Make the slice about one inch (2. 5 cm) wide, depending on how large your knife is. Don’t cut so deep into the fruit that you remove more than a sliver of the flesh.
The pith is white, smooth, and somewhat spongy. If you notice some of this staying on the orange as you cut, begin to cut a bit deeper.
