Nagoyak: Is it Fresh?

NAGOYA: IS IT FRESH?

Since fruits and vegetables don't come with expiration dates, customers are usually unaware of  how their favorite fruits and vegetables should look like. When buying fruits and vegetables, you need not to only consider the visible blemishes to know if it's fresh or not. Giving it a smell and considering it's weight could go a long way when it comes to choosing your produce.


Fruits and vegetables have seasons and you can't always find the quality you want. Be flexible. Also, there are two categories of fruits and vegetables: 1.) Produce that starts going downhill from the moment it's picked and 2.) Fruits(mainly) and vegetables that can ripen or improve after you buy them; and since we are using a lot of fruits and vegetables in our dishes, it is just right to give you some tips when buying produce. Here are some:

• Greens: Celery, parsley, dill, kale, leafy lettuce, broccoli, etc. should always be green and crisp looking. If it’s starting to look wilted, pale, or brown, it’s past its prime. Only buy it if it’s a bargain and you can use it right away. Sometimes the outside of a head of lettuce is wilted but the inside is still okay.

• Cabbage: Choose a crisp and heavy head.

• Root vegetables including turnips, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, etc: Root vegetables should feel heavy. The skin should be smooth, not wrinkled. They should smell fresh and have an attractive color. Smaller ones are usually tastier.

• Potatoes: The skin should be unwrinkled. Green skin is a sign of poisonous solanine. Cutting off the green won’t remove all of the solanine. Dirt on potatoes can be a sign of freshness, because they are usually washed before storage. The eyes of old potatoes start to sprout.

• Onions: Should be heavy and hard, with dark skins and no sprouting.

• Garlic: Old garlic will also start to sprout.

• Grapes: Lift up the package and look from underneath. As grapes ripen, they fall off the bunch so a lot of loose grapes means they are very ripe.

• Strawberries: Firm and without too strong a smell. Always sort strawberries as soon as you get home.

• Citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits,tangerines: Fresh smell and no soft spots. Brown surface scratches don’t affect the fruit. Green spots is also usually fine.

• Apples: Firm, smooth skin with no blemishes.

• Cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, and peppers: Heavy, unwrinkled, dark (although some varieties of zucchini are pale).

• Mushrooms: White, if that is their original color. Smooth with no blemishes. Check the ends of the stems should also be white.  I fished this one out of the refrigerator to show you. It’s a few days old: Note the brown cut edge at the stem, the way the peel is separating from the stem, and the brown spots on the white flesh.

- the following items listed above are those who doesn't improve with age, so it is best to use it as soon as you can. But if stored properly, citrus fruits,garlic, root vegetables and apples keep for weeks or longer.

Now, below, are the items that can be bought before ripening and left on the counter until ripe. Once ripe, transfer to the refrigerator.

• Melons: Press the top of the melon, where the stem was/is. If it’s soft, it’s ripe. Ripe melon also gives off a sweet smell. The stronger the smell, the riper the melon.

• Watermelons: Tap it. If you hear a hollow sound, it’s ripe. Also, lift it up and look underneath: the peel there should be yellow or ripe. 

• Tomatoes: The redder the tomato, the riper it is. Refrigeration as it affects the flavor, so use tomatoes as soon as they are ripe.

• Avocados: Choose them hard, or, if you can use them right away, soft with few blemishes.  Here are some photos, showing what they look like when they are ready to eat.

• Pitted fruits like peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and nectarines: Ripe ones are softer and more colorful. An imperfection or two usually means that they are just past their prime–buy only if you can use that day but they will be delicious. Strong-smelling fruit is very ripe. Avoid green peaches, as they don’t always ripen.

• Pears: Same as pitted fruits.

• Bananas: Green, hard bananas keep for a while so considering buying some yellow ones to eat right away. Bananas are best when the peel is tan with spots.

When buying produce, it is essential to to buy the best ones in order to create healthy and delicious food most especially at home. As a cook, those who eat your food is your main priority and responsibility of course. Vegetables usually balance and lighten up everyday meals while the Fruits keep you refreshed and often used as dessert as well. So we hope that the tips we gave you helps. Thanks for reading! 

Like our page on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/NagoyaksSushi-1796284270633567/ or

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nagoya_KS