Category "fruit"

How do I tell if a cantaloupe is ripe?

I have a tough time telling if my cantaloupe is ripe (without opening it and trying it. Any suggestions?

cooking with cherimoya

Cherimoya is an amazing delicacy that I highly recommend; however, I haven't found much culinary use for it other than eating it raw. What's your experience on

Is there a technique for glacé (glazing) that could speed up the process?

I saw a recipe for glacéing (is that a word?) cherries, and at one stage they required anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks soaking time. Are there any tech

How should I organize my fruits for storage?

As I learnt from this post, there are some fruits that should not be kept together with the others (e.g. watermelon and apple). Which fruits should be kept sepa

What considerations should be taken into account when adding any fruit to any cake?

I have a pineapple-orange cake recipe that is very good, but is from a relative - I didn't develop it. I am curious how to adjust a typical cake recipe or even

How do I make dried blueberries?

How do you make dried blueberries? Can I use an oven? Is there a proper technique or do I just bake them on low for a few hours?

How do I pick a watermelon at the supermarket?

Lately, every watermelon I bring home form the organic section of the supermarket has not been sweet.  Among the small, seedless varietie

Fruit peeling techniques

I came across this page (How to peel a mango) while surfing and I found it very interesting. What kind of methods and knives/kitchen gadgets do you use to peel

What are the costs to consider when making jam?

I am trying to dertermine what kinds of jam are particularly cost-effective to make at home. I have been given a few bits of equipment for jam making, and am

Substitute frozen cranberries for fresh berries

I just came across this recipe that calls for 1 1/4 cups of fresh cranberries. I was wondering if it was possible to substitute frozen cranberries instead. I am

Simple things to do with very tart plums? [closed]

We got a bag of purple plums from our CSA that have a great flavor and seem ripe, but that are very tart. I'm the only person in the family wh

Can you freeze apples?

What is the best way to freeze apples? I am planning on cooking with them when they defrost.

Freeze-drying fruit at home?

Is it possible to freeze-dry fruit at home without expensive special equipment (or get the same dryness otherwise)? Especially I want to get the fruit to the cr

How are green and ripe plantains used differently?

I see both green and black (ripe) plantains for sale. I'm assuming they aren't used interchangeably. What kinds of dishes or techniques are appropriate for each

What happens when you bake Winesap apples?

In researching the answer to a question of why the apples in a pie became mushy, I noticed that two of my cookbooks contradicted each other on the Winesap apple

Using Elderberries in Cooking

I noticed that there's lots of elderberries near where I live, and I had an idea about making an elderberry brulee, but I'm sure that the elderberries would be

how to peel a pomegranate efficiently?

Two well known facts about pomegranates: they are yummy they are a pain to peel by hand do you know of any efficient ways to peel pomegranates? by efficient i

Why did my banana catch fire in the microwave?

Wow, that sounds like a silly question, but really! My wife froze bananas in the freezer with the peel still on. You can't peel them frozen. I put it in the mic

How do I remove bitterness from bitter melon

We use bitter melon/bitter gourd for making curry. We boil bitter gourd in water couple of times to remove bitterness which is very time consuming. Is there an

How to deconstruct a pumpkin

In a fit of pumpkin-bread-craving I bought a pumpkin (labelled "for cooking" instead of "show"), only to realize I have no idea what to do with it. I already pl