What is the best method for selecting a ripe watermelon?!
What is the best method for selecting a ripe watermelon?
Answers:
Unlike cantaloup, the rind on a watermelon is much too thick to be able to smell anything. For those that knock, I'm waiting to see if they get an answer. As a watermelon sits on a ground, ripening, it develops an "underbelly" the spot sitting on the ground becomes white from getting no sunshine. The longer it sits and the riper the melon gets the more yellow the underbelly gets. The deeper the yellow, the more ripe and sweeter it will be. My father was a retailer/wholesaler of produce and I learned a bit over the years.
I always smell mine. If it smells sweet, it probably is sweet!
It should be heavy for it's size. Get two that are exactly the same size pick the heavier one. The thumping thing is just dumb.
Check the stripes.
A ripe watermelon's dark green stripes should be bigger than it's light green stripes.
Try it out. Buy two melons, one with wide dark green stripes and one with wide light green stripes and taste the difference.
Regardless of what people say, thumping a melon is an old wives tale. You just look foolish holding a melon to your ear.
you have to listen to it... pretend it is a door and knock on it, if it sound hollow or empty, it is ready... simple
HI there!
Melons of all types have a distinct way to tell that they are ripe. The sound!!
If youve ever seen someone holding a fruit up to their ear and thumping it, there is a reason! Melons should make a deep "thunk" sound if they are ripe. Hold very close to your ear, and lightly flick. If it makes a 'tink' or 'think' sound it is unripe and not sweet. If it makes a 'thunk' or 'thonk' sound it has a lot of juice and should be very ripe and sweet.
Happy eating!!
Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Jake C.
Exec. Chef
my bro always knocks it..but i'm not sure how that tests it