The orange is an ingredient in many recipes, including those for meats, salads, drinks and desserts. The sour orange is seldom eaten raw and is used to make marmalades or essential oils. The sweet orange, which includes the Valencia, navel and blood varieties, is more common in the United States. The orange adds a sweet, citrus flavor to dishes, but the orange can serve as a dish on its own when cooked. You can enjoy or serve the cooked orange as a special treat or dessert. You can choose from several cooking methods to cook oranges.

Wash and peel the oranges and remove as much as you can of the white membrane from the flesh of the fruit.

Cut the oranges in half or cut them into smaller slices and lay the slices on a baking sheet.

Apply a sugar-water glaze to the orange slices or sprinkle the slices with sugar and cinnamon. Skip the sugar, if you prefer.

Bake the orange on a cooking sheet in the oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 25 minutes or until the oranges are hot. You may also pour a glaze over the orange slices and broil them. You may choose to simmer the oranges in your choice of a poaching liquid, such as water, sugar-water or wine, until the oranges are hot. Other cooking methods are to grill orange slices for five to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces, or sauté the orange slices for three minutes.