How to choose the right oranges, what to look for
Who doesn’t love oranges? Bright color, rich taste, benefits and vitamins – all this makes this fruit a favorite of many people. In addition to its wonderful taste, orange contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements, and in terms of vitamin C it is the undisputed leader.
How to choose the right oranges in the store, and what to look for? After all, an orange is a mystery, you do not know what awaits you inside … Almost always the consumption of these citruses occurs fresh, less often in the form of juice. Therefore, what you need to look for when buying sunny oranges:
- Grade… The taste of an orange depends on its variety. You can ask the seller for the type of fruit or read the label in the store. Sweet varieties that can be found in our stores: Verna, Salustiana, Valencia. The oranges of these varieties are sweet and tasty, but usually the name of the variety rarely speaks to the common man.
- The weight… Surprisingly, this factor can be used to judge the taste of an orange. Heavy fruits indicate that they have a lot of juice and that such a fruit will turn out to be sweet. Weigh the orange in the palm of your hand – it should be firm and pleasantly heavy.
- Smell… Only ripe oranges have an attractive bright aroma. Cold oranges most likely will not have a distinct smell, so if you buy outside in winter, you should not pay attention to this factor.
- Color… The ripeness of an orange can be identified by its peel color. A good, ripe, sweet orange is more likely to have a bright and uniform color. But, color is not the most important factor in assessing ripeness. A fully ripe sweet orange may have a greenish rind.
- Crust… Better to buy oranges with smooth peels. Pores on the skin of an orange indicate thick skin. And if this does not affect the taste of the fruit, then you will have to overpay for the extra weight of the fruit. But at the same time, it is oranges with a thick rind that are best peeled.
- Structure… Be sure to taste the fruit when you buy it. It should not be loose, soft, and should not have traces of deformation. The orange should be firm and even, defects in the form of spots indicate improper storage. It is better to refuse to buy such fruits.
- Size… When buying an orange, size does not matter at all, on the contrary. Huge, weighty fruits have dry pulp and average taste. Small oranges are more often found to be sweeter than their overgrown brothers.
- Manufacturer country… This information is not always available to the buyer. But oranges from the Mediterranean and the United States have long been the tastiest. Unscrupulous suppliers often harvest unripe citrus fruits to bring them to customers safe and sound. Oranges do not have the same ripening ability of some fruits. Therefore, if you come across an unripe orange, it will not ripen!
Conclusion: Weight and smell are considered the main factors when buying oranges. It is this duet that can help you understand the ripeness and sweetness of citrus.
In any case, even if the oranges that you purchased are not sweet, you should not be upset, because the juice from fresh oranges with a small spoonful of sugar has all the properties of a fresh fruit. And culinary dishes made from oranges are real masterpieces.
When eating oranges, the main thing is not to overdo it, and then the sun fruit will support your immunity and bring health to your body!