The New Complete Book of Food
Buying This Food
Look for: Tangerines that are heavy for their size (which means they will be juicy). The
skin should be deep orange, almost red, and naturally puffy and easy to peel.
Choose firm, heavy tangelos, with a thin, light-orange skin that is less puffy than
the tangerine’s.
Choose small-to-medium clementines with bright orange skin. They should be heavy
for their size.Storing This Food
Refrigerate tangerines and clementines. Tangerines are very perishable; use them within a day
or two. Store tangelos at room temperature for a few days. Refrigerate them for longer storage.Preparing This Food
Wash the fruit under cold running water. Don’t peel it until you are ready to use it; peeling
tears cells and activates ascorbic acid oxidase, an enzyme that destroys vitamin C.
Although many people prefer citrus fruits very cold, bringing the tangerines, clemen-
tines, and tangelos to room temperature before you serve them liberates the aromatic mol-
ecules that make the fruit smell and taste good, intensifying the flavor and aroma.What Happens When You Cook This Food
* * *How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Canning. Before they are canned, Mandarin oranges are blanched briefly in steam to inac-
tivate ascorbic acid oxidase, an enzyme that would otherwise destroy the fruit’s vitamin C.
Canned Mandarin oranges contain approximately as much vitamin C as fresh ones.Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Antiscorbutics. Like other citrus fruits, tangerines, tangelos, and clementines are useful in
preventing or curing the vitamin C–deficiency disease scurvy.Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Contact dermatitis. The oils in the peel of the tangerine, tangelo, or clementine may be
irritating to sensitive individuals.