The Produce Aisle: How to Choose the Best Fruits

For some people, going through the produce aisle can be stressful. You walk through, look around, notice other people touching, smelling, tapping and examining the produce from different angles. They pick up a piece of fruit and obviously know when they've come across a keeper. On the other hand, you look at the rows of limes and just toss some in your cart without any kind of "process," only to go home and find that your lime was mostly rind and about a teaspoon of actual juice. It's frustrating to get bad produce, and it's delightful when you accidentally open up a cantaloupe to find a juicy, sweet, mouthwatering treat. But that doesn't have to be an accident. Your exquisite palate deserves much more. Here's what to look for in common fruits.

Pineapple

You've probably had a bad pineapple or two in your day. The insides were either pale yellow, hard and sour or lacked in taste, or they were turning a deeper yellow and had a bitter, too acidic taste. The perfect pineapple is a golden yellow on the inside, sweet yet tangy. To find that perfect pineapple, the key is in finding one on the outside that is evenly yellow and orange. The more uniformly yellow and orange, and the less green and brown, the more likely you will get a uniformly lovely inside. Also notice the smell of the pineapple. If it smells overripe--think a hint of beer or somewhat fermented, keep looking.

Apples

A bad apple reminds you of cotton, it's soft and textured. A great apple is crisp and makes that strong sound when you bite into it. The key to finding a great apple is to find one that is hard. Almost rock hard. If you can put your finger on it, press it and make a dent, it's still too soft. Make sure to find one without bruises or brown spots. A hard outside means a crisp inside.

Cantaloupes

With Cantaloupes, the most important thing is smell. Pick up the cantaloupe and smell both ends. To find your perfect cantaloupe, both ends should smell sweet. Smell more than a couple and notice the differences in smell. Opt for the sweetest smelling ends.

Limes and Lemons

It's a pain squeezing out hard limes and lemons that only have a few drops of juice. The key to finding the best limes and lemons is to literally squeeze them gently in your hand. If it's hard to squeeze now, it'll be hard to squeeze when you cut it up. Another thing to look for is a smooth, thin, shiny looking surface. Avoid the ones that have rough, dull, thick-looking skins. At home, to make squeezing easier, you can prep the lime or lemon. Do this by squeezing it before you cut it. You can also put it in the microwave for a few seconds to help soften it. When choosing between limes and lemons for recipes, I usually opt for a lemon in sweet recipes and limes in salty recipes.

Avocados

With avocados, the time when you plan on using them is something to consider. If you want to eat the avocado the same day, you're going to want an avocado that is already ripe. If you want to wait a couple of days, choose an avocado that doesn't have any soft spots and is uniformly hard all around. Look for skin that is smooth and shiny and body that is perfectly symmetrical shape. It is better to err on the side of choosing avocados that are too hard rather than too soft. If you place an avocado in a rice bag overnight, it will ripen sooner.

Strawberries

Typically strawberries come in transparent plastic containers with holes. It's almost impossible to get a perfect batch of strawberries, but the key to choosing the best is to take an inventory of all the visible strawberries. Open the top if necessary. Make sure that there are no strawberries that are going bad. Find a batch that has mostly red to deep red strawberries that have smooth, shiny, plump surfaces beyond the seeds. Avoid strawberries that are white around the top. Before you are set on a batch, turn the plastic container upside down and check out the strawberries on the bottom. If there are any bad ones, they usually find their way to the bottom.

Grapes

Grapes, like apples, should be firm. No one wants to eat a soft grape. Feel individual pieces of the entire batch to see how firm the batch is as a whole.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes should be a vibrant red, not a light, washed out red. The more vibrant the red, the juicier the insides. It should be somewhat firm. For the most part, the larger the tomato, the less flavorful the tomato. That's why I opt for Roma tomatoes, vine ripened tomatoes, or grape/cherry tomatoes instead of the large tomatoes you find on a hamburger.

Watermelon

Tap the watermelon. It should sound hollow and like a bass drum. There's also a theory that you should choose a watermelon that has a yellow sun spot because that means it has sat out longer in the sun to be ripened. This one is still not foolproof.

Tangerines

It's lovely to find a tangerine where the peeling almost just falls off when you peel it. Choose tangerines with shiny, smooth, somewhat thin outsides that feel like they are really hugging the contents. Gently press the top. If it feels like there's air on top and you'd be able to pop it easily and get to the inside, you've got a winner!

Lastly, it is worth mentioning that if you want to be an even bigger produce snob and are on the hunt for only the best produce, it is wise to eat fruits only when they are in season, preferably organic, and from your local farmer's market