I have solved the small orange problem

[noblegiraffe]

I just saw a Waitrose billboard that said "You know it's Christmas when you peel your first clementine" which made me think "I know it's Christmas when I consider Pigs in Blankets to be a viable crisp flavour" but it got me mulling over the issue of small oranges, and I think I have finally solved it.

The correct order for small oranges is:

1. Mandarin - the <chef's kiss> of small oranges.

2. Satsuma - a solid entry in the small orange category, easy to peel. Sometimes you get the odd duff tasteless one but usually delicious.

3. Tangerines - could be ranked higher but rarely on the shelves so I kind of forget they exist.

and WAY down the bottom, basically in the bin

4. Clementines - the absolute worst. What is up with that horrible flavour? You'd get a better orange experience from drinking some juice straight after brushing your teeth. They try to disguise them by rebranding them 'easy peelers'. Look at the small print and it's a covert clementine.

I think this is one thing we can all agree on this Christmas.

They all hurt my teeth and give me migraines, so they can all get in the bin.

Can I just say that I bought proper big oranges from Asda, used one to cook with and we had 4 left over which I cut into wedges a la halftime at the football and told the kids it was "dessert" when eaten with square of fruit & nut. And they were DIVINE - the best oranges I've ever had and perfectly optimal ratio of juicy flesh (lots) to pith (almost none). I don't know if I can go back to small oranges now...

Oh and the best part - no pips at all!!!

The bag also told you that they were best served at room temperature. So you are supposed to refrigerate them, then take them out well before eating to warm up. And to wash them?!!

MIL keeps her oranges (and all other fruit, actually) in the fridge. If I don't think ahead and get one out of the fridge in advance, it is unpleasantly chilly and a great disappointment!

Tangerines are by far my favourites the others taste the same to me. Tangerines have a specific taste different from. Oranges.
And what are easy peelers supposed to be?

A marketing thing. They’re nearly always clementines.

But Clementines are hard to peel, I think easy peelers are more often satsumas. I have a box of clementines for Christmas with the leaves and stalks attached, they are lovely but fiddly to peel. Tangerines are also, I think, trickier to peel and smaller but delicious, they do have a specific taste.

Satsumas are easier to peel than clementines, but at least in Sainsbury's all the Easy Peelers are clementines because I have extensively researched. This leads me to conclude that it's not about how easy they are to peel at all but is instead a ploy to trick people into buying clementines.

Bought some easy peelers from M and S yesterday now realise I’ve been very very wrong… is Christmas ruined 🤣

Presumably easy peelers are whatever is cheapest wholesale at the time. Sainsbury’s easy peelers haven’t always been clementines.

Every days a school day loved this thread! Thanks OP