User: What are the different methods to open a pomegranate?
Assistant: 1 - Vertical cutting: roll the pomegranate over the surface of the cutting board to loosen the seeds; position it in the middle; cut the top (flower) and pop it off; slice it in half vertically along the ridges; cut each of the ridges to create 5 slices and then tear it apart to remove the seeds.
2 - Submerging it in water to remove the seeds: fill a large bowl with cool water; make a shallow cut down the side and use your thumbs to tear it into 2 halves then place them in the water and use your fingers to nudge the seeds free and finally strain the seeds into a bowl.
3 - Removing seeds with a wooden spoon: make a shallow horizontal slice in the middle and tear it into 2 halves; for each half place it seeds side down over a bowl and hit the skin with a wooden spoon for seeds to fall out.