Fresh produce can be a bit of a wild card in the kitchen. Take kharbuja, for example. Maybe it looks perfect when you get it, then suddenly it’s overripe before you know it. The trick is knowing how to store it, whether you’ve got the whole melon, a ripe one, or just a few cut pieces. Get these basics down, and you’ll actually finish your fruit instead of discovering it spoiled in the fridge. If you order groceries from an online grocery delivery app, it’s even more important to know what to do with everything as soon as it shows up.
Check Your Melon When It Arrives
Before you start putting groceries away, take a quick look at your melon. Scan for any cuts, bruises, or soft spots. Give the stem end a gentle press. If it’s still really hard and you don’t smell much, it probably needs more time to ripen. No need to slice it open just yet. Just leave it on the counter and check again tomorrow.
Let It Ripen On The Counter
As long as it isn’t ripe, all you have to do is leave it at room temperature in a place where there’s no sunlight shining on it. You can even wait until tomorrow before putting it inside the fridge. How would you know that it’s ripe? As soon as you get a sweet aroma coming from the melon, know that it’s become slightly soft.
Store Ripe Melon In The Fridge
It is important that a whole ripe melon be refrigerated, especially during summer, when you don’t plan to use it straight away. Heavy objects should not be placed on top of it, since a ripe melon bruises very easily and you may not realise until you slice it.
Cut Only What You Need
Don’t chop up the whole thing if you only want a few pieces. It’s easier to store, and you won’t have as much cut fruit to worry about. Wash the outside well, use a clean knife and board, scoop out the seeds, and cut what you’ll eat.
Store Leftovers Properly
The moment you are done slicing the melon, simply put the rest inside a sealed box and keep it in the fridge. You should never leave the cut melon pieces lying around on your kitchen countertop since the lid will prevent them from absorbing any other odours, particularly that of curry or chopped onions.
Don’t Lose Track Of Leftovers
The ignored fruits that stay in the fridge are always easy to forget. Consume the fruits which you had chopped earlier, but you should make sure that you check your fruits carefully before having them. You can throw away any fruit that has a strange smell or appearance or an odd feel into the garbage can. A practical trick is placing the older fruits at the front of your produce display where you can easily get access to them.
Buy What You’ll Actually Eat
Consider the amount of melon that your family will consume before making a purchase. If you are alone, then do not buy too much. If everyone in your family enjoys it, plan to order from an online grocery delivery app accordingly. Using Instamart makes it easy to get just the right amount of fruit – no extra supermarket trips, no waste.
And that’s how it works: let the raw fruit ripen in the open air, then chill it when it ripens, and then store the chopped fruit in the fridge. Take time to check your fruit, eat up all the ripe fruit first, and chop what you will eat at once. In this way, your kharbuja can be enjoyed fresh.
