Before peeling an orange, some people press the fruit firmly between their palms, or against a hard, flat surface, and roll it all around for several seconds. This is done in the belief that it helps loosen the peel from the flesh. I have tried this myself but can't say for sure whether it has any effect.
Is there, in fact, any non-anecdotal evidence that this procedure makes oranges easier to peel by hand? (By "easier", I mean that the peeling goes faster, or is less messy, or removes more of the pith.) Or is massaging oranges just time-wasting voodoo?
I'm aware that there are convenient peeling techniques that use a knife or a specialized tool but for this question I'm just interested in the case where all you have to work with is your hands.
