Gourmet Cooking with Navel Oranges

Navel oranges are delicious to eat on their own, but they are also great for cooking with. Many gourmet chefs use navel oranges along with other citrus fruits in their dishes. A splash of grapefruit juice, or a well placed orange segment, can balance out a dish that has heavy flavors or needs a little touch of lightness. The tang and sweetness of navel oranges makes them ideal to add to a wide range of dishes. Even if you can barely boil water you can make meals that taste like a gourmet chef made them if you use navel oranges and fruits like tangerines and grapefruit for cooking. Here are some tips from expert chefs on how to use navel oranges in your everyday cooking to make all of your dishes taste better:

Always use fresh juice – This should probably go without saying but always use fresh navel oranges, don’t use concentrated or frozen orange juice. The difference in taste will be very noticeable. Keeping a large box of navel oranges in your pantry is highly recommended by chefs so that you always have a few oranges on hand if you want to fix a high end dish. Juicing a few oranges only takes a few minutes and can be done easily by hand, although you can buy a juicer if that’s easier for you.

A little zest goes a long way – Orange zest is a key ingredient for many dishes. For desserts especially the zest from navel oranges is a key ingredient that provides just the right balance to the sweetness of the dessert. But, don’t overdo it. Zest a little of the peel from a navel orange and add it to the item you’re baking and then taste it. You can always add more if you need to but you can’t take zest away so start with just a light dusting of zest. You can also add candied pieces of peel from navel oranges to desserts and dishes to add some sweetness and pizzazz.

Salads and navel oranges are always a winning combination – If you want to make a dish that tastes and looks gourmet but you really can’t cook very well or if you’re in a real hurry and need to make something fast you can turn a simple green salad into a culinary work of art by peeling a couple of navel oranges and adding the segments to a green lettuce or spinach salad. Top the salad with a light oil based dressing and you have a great dish in less than 20 minutes thanks to navel oranges.

Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves

At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.

Shop Now