Grape expectations ... Our guide to grapes
Whether it’s a handful as a snack, as part of a cheese platter or in salads or desserts, everyone loves grapes. Their flavour complements a variety of foods such as chicken, fish, saffron, brie, blue cheese, mascarpone, hazelnuts, walnuts, pastry, sweet potato, pork and chilli to name a few. There are a number of varieties of grapes grown and sold in Australia. Here’s our guide to some of the most popular varieties of table grapes, and how you can save time peeling them.
Thompson seedless
Sometimes called sultana, this green variety has sweet juice. Thompson is the most popular table grape and is also used for making sultanas.
Menindee seedless
Similar to Thompson, this green grape is slightly tart and very crunchy. Menindee is an early harvest variety so you can buy it at the beginning of the season.
Black muscat
Sweeter and juicier than the blue-black coloured muscat grape, this variety has the highest sugar content and therefore the most kilojoules.
Crimson seedless
This elongated variety has a sweet, tart taste and beautiful light-red skin. It has crisp, firm flesh, which results in a longer shelf life. Crimson is also popular because it's seedless.
Red globe
Large and round, the red globe grape has a pretty pink-red colour, big seeds and a very sweet flavour.
Flame seedless
The firm, medium-sized berry of this grape variety is deep red in colour and has a slightly tart flavour.
Unless you have hours of spare time it’s unlikely that you’ll be volunteering to peel grapes because let’s face it, it is a time-consuming and boring task. Add to that the fact that you have to peel each grape individually and no matter how careful you are there always seems to be bits of skin that remain stuck on the grape. Our method will help you to peel the skin off with minimal effort.
- Firstly bring a pot of water to the boil.
- Place grapes into a handheld strainer and submerge them in the boiling water.
- After 4 seconds remove the strainer from the water and place the grapes into a pot of ice water for 10 seconds, then remove for peeling.
When you start peeling you’ll find the skin peels much more easily, saving you plenty of time in the kitchen.
