how to get watemelon to soften up,
Hi, welcome to solsarin site, today we want to talk about“how to get watermelon to soften up”,
thank you for choosing us.
how to get watermelon to soften up?
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is an iconic summer treat. Watermelon seed-spitting contests are a fond memory for past generations, but perhaps a foreign concept for those who have grown up on the seedless varieties most commonly found in grocery stores today.
Florida has a great climate for growing watermelon, and is actually a leading producer for the nation. While it’s generally considered a summer fruit, growers in Florida are lucky enough to be able to plant watermelon for harvest in the winter as well. In fact, Florida is the only state in the country that produces watermelon from December to April.
how to get watermelon to soften up?
Choosing a Ripe Watermelon to Purchase
Choosing a watermelon is very much like going on a blind date. There is no foolproof way to tell if a watermelon is ripe unless you buy one that has already been cut open. There are a few ways to hedge your bet, though. Look at the bottom of the watermelon. It should be a creamy yellow instead of light green. The skin should be a little dull rather than glossy, bumpy rather than smooth and difficult or impervious to puncture with your thumbnail.
Pick several melons up in your hands, one at a time. A ripe one will feel heavier than you expect. Once you have chosen a likely prospect, step away from the rest of the melons, and sniff it well. A ripe watermelon, like a good date, should smell sweet. You can also thump the watermelon to see if it sounds ripe, but unless you are very familiar with how a ripe watermelon sounds, this probably won’t tell you anything. When in doubt, ask your grocer or farmer’s market proprietor to choose a watermelon for you.
Ripening on the Vine
It’s crucial to let your homegrown watermelons ripen fully to ensure they’ve reached their peak sweetness. One of the first signs of a fully ripened watermelon is when the curly green shoots near the stem have turned brown and dried out. The bottom of the watermelon – where it rests on the ground – has turned from light green to a creamy yellow, and the skin of the watermelon has gone from a glossy shine to a duller matte appearance. Young watermelon skin is smooth and can easily be pierced with a fingernail, but the skin of a mature fruit will be tougher and somewhat rougher in texture.
Ripening After Picking
Unlike cantaloupes and certain other fruits, watermelons do not continue to ripen after they are picked. Many websites advise placing your watermelon in a paper bag and leaving it on your counter, but this will have no effect on the watermelon and is a waste of both your time and a paper bag.
Watermelon Smoothie
A blend of frozen watermelon cubes, strawberries, and yogurt, with the optional addition of mint or basil if you feel so inclined, this pink drink is the grown-up equivalent of zipping down a Slip-n-Slide or drinking cold water right from the hose on the hottest day as a kid: utter exhilaration.
Ever since drinking Deb’s frozen watermelon mojitos last summer, I’ve been utterly enamored with freezing leftover watermelon to make drinks, this strawberry watermelon smoothie included.
How to Make a Watermelon Smoothie
It can be tricky to make a watermelon smoothie without a recipe, because watermelon itself is nearly 92% water. That means that if you toss watermelon cubes into the blender, you’ll end up with watermelon juice.
The trick to making a luxuriously thick watermelon smoothie is to freeze the watermelon cubes first. From there, other ingredients can add different effects to the texture.
- Personally, I love a creamy watermelon smoothie, so I took a note from my classic Strawberry Smoothie and Greek Yogurt Smoothie and added vanilla Greek yogurt. To die for.
- The combo of the creamy yogurt with the frozen watermelon and strawberries reminded me of the cream slushes we used to order at the drive-in. (Sonic anyone?)
- I prefer vanilla yogurt over plain yogurt in this recipe, as the vanilla adds necessary flavor and sweetness.
- Another option to make the smoothie creamy and sweet is to add a fresh or frozen banana. Watermelon and banana go well together. Do note that if you add banana to this recipe, the banana’s flavor will be more pronounced.
Is Overripe Watermelon Safe to Eat?
When a watermelon gets too ripe for its own good, the juicy crisp texture of the flesh can turn gritty and dry. If you cut it open, you might see the flesh actually pulling away from the seeds. If your watermelon is mealy, it’s still safe to eat.
To save the situation, you’ll want to use the mealy watermelon in recipes where crisp texture isn’t a factor. And that means pulling out the blender (try this top-rated blender from Cuisinart) and giving the offending melon a fast ride to purée town. Once you’ve changed the texture, you can add a bit of sweetness if it needs it and throw in some flavor boosters like citrus and mint, or even booze it up. You can even pickle the rind.
Of course, if the watermelon is so ripe that it’s rotting, then you should NOT eat it at all.
how to make watermelon sorbet without an ice cream maker?
A lot of people think they need an ice cream maker in order to make ice cream or sorbet, when it’s actually not the case. All you need is some sort of heavy duty blender, like this food processor or a kitchen blender and you’re good to go. Personally, I prefer using my food processor because it’s easier to process the frozen fruit evenly.
Watermelon is a great fruit to make into a sorbet without an ice cream maker because it freezes so well – all you have to do it remove the rind and dice it into chunks. I usually place mine in my freezer overnight, but it’ll be good to use within 4-5 hours for sure. You want the frozen watermelon to be fully frozen so it doesn’t turn to a slushy as you blend it for the sorbet.
How To Pick The Sweetest Watermelon for Watermelon Sorbet
The easiest way to make the best watermelon sorbet is to pick the sweetest watermelon available. When you freeze watermelon, it will taste slightly less sweet than it does when it’s fresh, so the sweeter the better. Here are some of my best tips for how to pick the sweetest watermelon at the store:
- When you pick up the watermelon, whether it’s small, medium, or large, it should feel heavy for it’s size.
- Check to see if the yellow spot is a creamy yellow color. Watermelons develop a yellow-ish spot on the bottom where they rest on the ground while they grow. If this spot is creamy yellow, it’s nice and ripe.
- Gently tap the bottom of the watermelon. If you hear a deep, hollow sound, the watermelon is ripe. If you hear a dull sound, the watermelon is likely either under- or over-ripe.
Follow these steps and you’ll be certain to pick the very best watermelon of the bunch, making your sorbet all the better.
If you happen to not have a very sweet watermelon, you can always add a little raw honey into the mixture to sweeten things up.
How to Cut a Watermelon Into Cubes
Follow these simple steps to cut it into cubes:
- Cut your watermelon in half lengthwise.
- Then, cut each half in half to make 4 quarters of watermelon.
- Take one of the quarters and make cuts from the top part of the melon all the way down to the rind.
- Make 1 inch slices from one side of the melon to the other side.
- Take your knife and slice 1 inch strips down the length of the melon. (You are essentially making a crosshatch pattern on each quarter of the watermelon.)
After the cuts are made, start from one edge of the melon and cut along the rind. The cubes should fall out of the rind really easily!
How to Store Watermelon
Uncut: You can store the uncut melon in the fridge or on the counter. The watermelon will ripen a little more, but not much beyond when it was picked—so don’t choose an under ripe melon thinking you can store it until it becomes ripe.
- Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to a week before it begins to deteriorate. Do not store below 40°F
- Counter: Store on the counter for about 2 days. For longer storage put it in the fridge.
Cut: Store cut pieces of melon in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
If you only slice up part of the melon, you can wrap the uncut part of the melon in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge.
Any leftovers that don’t get eaten can be used to make homemade Watermelon Juice, or a Watermelon Smoothie!
How to Cut a Watermelon into Balls
Finally: balls! To be honest, I don’t use this method for how to cut a watermelon very often, but my mom always uses it to prepare watermelon for a summer fruit salad. I can’t blame her – it has such a fun look, and it’s secretly super easy.
Here’s how it goes:
First, trim off one of the ends. Lay the watermelon long-side-down on a cutting board, and use a sharp chef’s knife to slice 1/4-inch off one of the ends. Now, your watermelon will have one short, flat surface.
Next, slice the watermelon in half. Stand the watermelon on its flat side and slice down through its center, splitting it in half lengthwise.
Finally, make the balls. For this step, you’ll need a melon baller or a small cookie scoop. Press the scoop into the cut watermelon flesh, and carefully rotate it to form a ball. Repeat as desired with the remaining watermelon. (At a certain point, it’ll be hard to scoop perfect balls. Then, I usually dice up the rest for snacking or dig in with a spoon.
