Monday, September 06, 2010

Search for a Perfectly Ripe Cantaloupe

There is nothing worse than an underripe cantaloupe . . . or an overripe one. And for some reason, I've never been able to determine when a cantaloupe was at the perfect ripeness--so as much as I love them, I stopped buying them altogether because I was tired of being disappointed.

Believe it or not, I finally overcame my cantaloupe block and figured out how to tell when one is at the perfect ripeness for eating. It's been a couple of months now and I've gotten it right time after time so I figure it's time to share my revelation.

I had read that you should sniff your cantaloupe at the stem end and if it has an aroma, then it is ripe . . . but it's a little more complicated than that. If the melon has no smell, it is not ripe. Let it sit out for a day or two. However, don't wait until the smell is strong, by then it is overripe--that's been my problem in the past. The cantaloupe should have just a subtle, pleasant smell and that's when it's perfect.

Try it and see if this works for you.

2 comments:

Emily said...

I've also been told that the stem area should be a little soft. Hope you only have good melons from here on out!

My husband has always disliked cantaloupe, but only because he had never had a perfectly ripe one until he married me!

Unknown said...

That's funny Emily -- but it's true. When you get an underripe or overripe one, it's awful!