Selecting Produce: Tips for Buying Fruits & Veggies

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SUMMARY

This discussion provides definitive criteria for selecting high-quality fruits and vegetables. Key recommendations include ensuring potatoes are free of green spots, avocados should feel slightly squishy, and carrots must be firm and crisp. The thread emphasizes the importance of sensory indicators such as smell for cantaloupes and firmness for garlic bulbs and winter squash. Participants also share personal experiences and tips for selecting produce at farmers' markets and specialty stores.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of produce quality indicators
  • Familiarity with sensory evaluation techniques
  • Knowledge of seasonal produce availability
  • Experience with farmers' markets and specialty grocery stores
NEXT STEPS
  • Research best practices for selecting avocados and their ripening process
  • Learn about the sensory evaluation of fruits and vegetables
  • Explore the differences between waxy and starchy potatoes
  • Investigate the benefits of shopping at farmers' markets versus supermarkets
USEFUL FOR

Home cooks, culinary students, and anyone interested in improving their produce selection skills will benefit from this discussion.

  • #61
you can't trust that guy, he works for Big Pineapple.
 
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  • #62
GeorginaS said:
That would be my guess, too, if they don't "ripen" in the actual sense of the word.

I've purchased two pineapples at the same time that were mostly dark greenish on the outside and cut one up right away. The fruit had a hard texture and really tart flavour. The other I let sit on the counter until the skin was more yellow and, when cut, the fruit was more tender and sweeter tasting. Now, maybe the second pineapple was just like that the whole time, but, my experience with yellowish skinned pineapples has yielded consistent results. I don't cut up the really green ones because I didn't enjoy the one that I did. Given the small sample size, it could have been simply a hard, tart pineapple that wouldn't have changed over time. I don't know.
I think they're wrong. I *know* that pineapples become softer and sweeter with time. It happens with every pineapple, I've been doing this before some members were born, that's too many to be a fluke. That's *ripening* in my book. I don't care if chemically the amount of sugar hasn't changed, the flavor and texture changes noticeably. But don't let it sit too long, it starts to turn into alcohol. I guess they would disagree there too.