How do you tell which fruits in the produce section are the freshest ?!
im a college student living on his own for the first time for almost a week now!. me and my roommate just got done stocking our fridge with lots of apples, pineapples, oranges, bananas, mangos, and tangerines!. but i have this paranoia that im gonna bite off half of a fat worm in one of these fruits!. especially since i have no idea how to tell which fruits are fresh!. i checked for firmness and no bruises and no breaks in the skin!. is that enough or is there other things i need to know!. different things to check for for specific fruits and veggies would be appreciatedWww@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
Bananas: Do not refrigerate or they will taste funny and brown almost immediately!. Unless you want them to brown for baking!.!.!.
Avocado: Ready when you can easily push in the button thingy on the end where you can tell it was picked!. The whole avocado should be a little soft!. You don't have to refrigerate them but I do anyway!. They actually ripen faster in a paper bag kept in a room temperature dark space!.
Watermelon: when you lightly knock on it, it will sound hollow when it is ready!.
Pineapple, Oranges, Grapefruit, and Apples: They will get soft!. They are best to eat when they are not too stiff!. Pineapples will start to brown and turn a funny yellow when it's getting to be too late to eat them!. Oranges will have a gross smell or start to form mold!.!.!.same with grapefruit!. Apples last a long time, just check for holes so you don't meet that worm!
Berries: I try to keep these drier and colder in the refrigerator!. Only rinse the ones you are going to eat so the residual moisture does not cause mold on the ones you aren't eating and putting back in the fridge!. Or you can freeze them!. Won't taste as good, but you won't have to think about it all the time!.
Veggies: They will brown and get gooey when it's time to toss them!. Keep them dry and cold!. I noticed that asparagus lasts much longer outside of the bag in the crisper!. Potatoes will turn black, soft, and sprout when they are too old!. If they are too new, there will be green when you peel them!. Peel the green off or you can get sick from too much!. Potatoes are cured for one year before they are put in your grocers produce section specifically to get rid of the green part!.
Basically!.!.!.not too hard and not too soft is just right :)
Www@FoodAQ@Com
Avocado: Ready when you can easily push in the button thingy on the end where you can tell it was picked!. The whole avocado should be a little soft!. You don't have to refrigerate them but I do anyway!. They actually ripen faster in a paper bag kept in a room temperature dark space!.
Watermelon: when you lightly knock on it, it will sound hollow when it is ready!.
Pineapple, Oranges, Grapefruit, and Apples: They will get soft!. They are best to eat when they are not too stiff!. Pineapples will start to brown and turn a funny yellow when it's getting to be too late to eat them!. Oranges will have a gross smell or start to form mold!.!.!.same with grapefruit!. Apples last a long time, just check for holes so you don't meet that worm!
Berries: I try to keep these drier and colder in the refrigerator!. Only rinse the ones you are going to eat so the residual moisture does not cause mold on the ones you aren't eating and putting back in the fridge!. Or you can freeze them!. Won't taste as good, but you won't have to think about it all the time!.
Veggies: They will brown and get gooey when it's time to toss them!. Keep them dry and cold!. I noticed that asparagus lasts much longer outside of the bag in the crisper!. Potatoes will turn black, soft, and sprout when they are too old!. If they are too new, there will be green when you peel them!. Peel the green off or you can get sick from too much!. Potatoes are cured for one year before they are put in your grocers produce section specifically to get rid of the green part!.
Basically!.!.!.not too hard and not too soft is just right :)
Www@FoodAQ@Com
Checking for firmness and no bruises is good!. For melons and pineapple sniffing by where the stem was or at the bottom of the fruit helps - it should smell like the fruit!. If there were worms in your apples or any other fruit, you would see worm holes - so don't worry about that!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Each kind of fruit would be checked in different ways!. Could be by the smell or the color or by touch or looks!. If you see holes in a piece of fruit I would cut a piece out to make sure there was no worms or rot!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
washing everything will get off anything on the outside!. If getting a cantalope smell the ends of it!. And it shouldnt look green unless you want to let it ripen at your house!. Either way, it should smell like cantalope!. For watermelon, unless you're buying the already 1/4 one, you can 'knock' on it and it should sound hollow!. The one that sounds the more hollow would be the one to pick!. At least from what ive heard!. As far as veggies go!. If buying a bagged package of lettuce - like the already chopped - dont get anything that looks brown or wet!.!.!. like mushy wet!. Remember you want crisp lettuce!. Banana's buy them when they're green or just a bit green and let them ripen at your place!. That way you dont have to eat them all at once before they turn on you!.Www@FoodAQ@Com