The avocado ripens only after the harvest, therefore those we usually find on the market often need a few more days to complete the ripening. To speed up this process, place the fruit in a paper bag with an apple. To ensure the ripeness, gently press the fruit with your fingers: if it is soft (but not soft), it means that it has reached the perfect degree of ripeness. Do not forget that from this moment it must be consumed within a couple of days, keeping it in the meantime in the refrigerator. Like many fruits, once cut, the pulp tends to oxidize: to counteract the process, just sprinkle the slices a few drops of lemon (or lime).

Wash the avocado thoroughly and dry it. Place it on a cutting board or on a flat surface and with a sharp knife, cut the fruit vertically along its entire length. Rotate the halves until you feel them come apart. To facilitate the extraction of the stone, lightly engrave it with a knife (or use a spoon). Now you can cut it into slices, sectioning it lengthwise, keeping the same thickness; alternatively, you can make cubes: in this case you will have to cut it (superficially, without affecting the peel) with parallel and regular cuts first on the long side, then on the short one, finally removing the cubes, without the peel, with a spoon.

When choosing, compare the color and select for the purchase of the darker color fruit: the ripe ones will tend to black, while those with the lighter skin may require more days to reach a perfect maturation. To test the level of ripeness, gently press with your fingertips the skin on the top of the fruit: if it is soft, it means that the fruit is ready for consumption (take care that it is only the top and not the rest of the fruit to be slightly soft). On the other hand, we must wait a few more days. Do not buy avocado with dents, or with very soft pulp, because they may already be too ripe.

Wash avocado Hass thoroughly in plenty of running water, to avoid becoming a vehicle for bacteria. Dry it thoroughly with a clean cloth and place it on a cutting board. Cut the fruit in half, engraving it with determination with a knife in the direction of the length and obtaining two perfect halves. To remove the inner core, help yourself with a spoon and give me a slight pressure to facilitate the detachment of the pulp, but without putting too much force to preserve the pulp. If the level of maturation is correct, the operation will be easy.

When purchasing, make sure that the Mango has the right degree of ripeness. To understand it, take it between your fingers and feel if the skin is soft. If it is too unripe, consider that at least 3 or 4 days must pass before it can be consumed. On the contrary, if the skin gives way to a slight pressure of the fingers, you will understand that the fruit is ready to be consumed. Be careful that the skin is not soft: it would mean the fruit could be too ripe. You can find different variety of mango with many shapes and colors that start from green to red, from yellow to reddish. Each variety has a pulp with different fibrous: discover the ones you prefer most!

Rinse the skin and dry it with a towel. Put the fruit on a cutting bord and cut it with a sharp knife along the length to divide into to two parts. To remove the pulp without ruin it or remains attached to the stone, you must do the cube-shaped cutting. Make long slits lengthwise to create multiple parallel lines of desired thickness. To make cubes, turn the mango 90 degrees and cut similar sized lines perpendicular to the other tracks as to form a crosshatch pattern. Hold the scored mango cheeks with two hands. Then placing thumbs on the flesh side of each end, use the middle and index fingers to push and invert the skin.

It is very important to consume the fruit at the right level of ripeness. Otherwise, the pulp would be dry and with a sour taste. The peel of the ripe fruit has an intense yellow color (hence the name golden), with red areas. To test the level of ripeness, exert a slight pressure on the fruit: the consistency should be soft to the touch. Avoid buying fruits that are too soft - they could be overripe. The sense of smell can also help you check the level of ripeness: the ripe fruit in the upper part, that of the petiole (where it was attached to the plant) gives off a very pleasant scent.

To cut the papaya, place the washed and dried fruit on a surface, with a sharp knife remove the cap, then sink the blade into the pulp, cutting two halves (lengthwise). The two halves will separate easily. With the help of a spoon, remove internal filaments and seeds (exactly like in melon). At this point you can cut the pulp into slices, cubes keeping the longer or shorter side, or in the desired shape.

To test the degree of ripeness of the bananito, you can adjust as you would by choosing a banana. First check the color of the skin: opt for fruits with a more intense yellow skin color and some brown spots, if you prefer to taste the ripe fruit with a greater degree of sweetness, or a less intense yellow, if you prefer a firmer consistency than pulp. The consistency will also be more compact for the less ripe fruits and slightly softer for the “ready” ones. Store the bananito at room temperature, possibly away from kiwis and apples which would accelerate ripening.

Bananito peels exactly like a banana (the peel comes off even easier). As for the banana, also in this case the peel is not edible.

We suggest tasting the ripe fruit at the right point, to appreciate the taste, capitalizing on all its numerous beneficial properties. To understand if the mango is ripe, it is necessary to test its pulp: it must have the right consistency, characteristics that will certify the perfect degree of ripeness. Therefore, it is important that the finger does not sink into the pulp, which would indicate an excessive maturation, nor that the finger is excessively hard, characteristics that indicate a fruit still unripe. It is recommended to store the mango at room temperature, possibly also to ripen, if it is unripe, and in the refrigerator only after cutting, taking care to consume it within a few hours of cutting.

First, wash the mango thoroughly and dry it, to avoid conveying bacterial residues. Placing the longest side on a cutting board, mark the fruit lengthwise with a well-sharp knife, cutting the two outermost side caps, without core. At this point you can easily extract the pulp with a spoon or cut the portions with oblique superficial cuts practiced in both directions, to create squares (without reaching the skin): just then push the pulp outwards, to create a pleasant presentation. The remaining central part, once deprived of the core, can be used for juices, smoothies, ice cream or preparations such as sauces and compotes.

The lime, when it reaches maturity, has a slightly oval shape and a green / yellowish rind. If it ripens on the tree it takes on a yellow / orange color, but it is generally harvested and marketed with a green skin, therefore at its best organoleptic properties. A good method to test its ripeness is to smell it: a ripe lime has a sour smell, which is much lighter in the still unripe fruits.

The lime peel, well washed, and preferably organic fruit, can be used to give cocktails a more attractive appearance. To make perfect spirals, retrieve the special small knife with a shaped blade and, holding the lime in the other hand, starting from one end, cut the peel without going too deep. Once you have a long strip, wrap it around a stick (a straw will work too) to curl it, giving it the classic spiral shape. Its radius (smaller or larger) will depend on the size of the glass chosen. Once the spiral is ready, you can apply it to the edge of the glass, to embellish and make your cocktails more spectacular.

The fresh ginger is firm and compact to the touch and the view has a homogeneous color, with slight shades of more intense than medium and lighter brownish. It may be slightly more wrinkled to the touch, as well as knottier in shape, but this does not compromise its taste and goodness. Avoid choosing roots that already have many buds: as for potatoes they could be less fresh and therefore indicate a longer time of stay in the supermarket counter.

The fresh ginger has a thin skin and can be peeled (like a normal vegetable) with a small and sharp knife, a potato peeler, or a pinch. A tip: Before proceeding, we recommend leveling the surface to be peeled, simply passing over your fingers and removing any protruding parts. This will facilitate the removal of the skin from its gnarled parts. If well cleaned also the skin will be edible. The ginger can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in a paper bag and then in a plastic bag, having the care to replace the bag of cart a, when it is wet. In addition, the root can also be frozen (grated, smoothed), whole or simply chopped, for very practical single servings, ready to thaw and use as needed.

To ascertain the ripeness of the fruit, first check the color and texture of the peel, which must be wrinkled and not smooth and with a very intense purple hue. Another trick is to approach it and smell its aroma: the ripe fruit is particularly fragrant, while the unripe one is odorless or in any case has a low intensity scent. Finally, try to shake it slightly: if you feel the liquid inside move, it means that it has reached the perfect degree of ripeness to be enjoyed.

To enjoy the fruit, wash it to avoid leaving any residue and dry it with a clean cloth. On a cutting board, divide it into perfect halves with a knife and extract the pulp and seeds, using a spoon (this will be easy). Remember that the peel is not edible. We recommend you ripe fruit, because in this way you can also eat the seeds which, with their bitter aftertaste, will perfectly balance the sweeter one of the pulps. If, on the other hand, you should notice that the purchased fruit is unripe or not perfectly ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days to facilitate ripening.

Not only that: nothing is thrown away from coconut. In fact, the inedible part is also reused: baskets, hats and mats are made from the leaves; an alcoholic drink is extracted from the stem of the plant, the wood and the flowers, which is very popular in tropical countries.

Although the operation may seem difficult, since the shell is actually very hard, with a few small tricks, you can easily overcome the apparent initial difficulty. First make a hole with a screwdriver or awl in the top of the nut (where you find the “eyes). Once this step has been completed, turn the fruit upside down and let the liquid contained within it flow out (you can also keep it, as it boasts important remineralizing virtues). Finally, wrap the fruit in a cloth and hit it several times and firmly, until it breaks, with a hammer or a meat mallet.

To ensure that you buy the bladder cherry at the right degree of ripeness, check that the berries have a uniform color tone and that they are firm. Furthermore, if their spectacular casing is crumbly, it means that the fruit is ripe. The fruits are better preserved in the refrigerator and can also be frozen, to recover them in the seasons when they are not normally available. If, on the other hand, you have realized late that you have bought the unripe fruit, just keep it for some time at room temperature, which will facilitate its natural maturation.

The berry represents the only edible portion of the fruit. Its casing or lantern can be used for culinary decorations, of which it is widely used in pastry, but should not be consumed. Once the right point of maturation of the fruit has been verified, it is sufficient to remove its tuft (or keep it if necessary, for a more scenographic presentation) and to wash the fruit, which does not contain any stones. The fruit can be used whole, with or without wrapping, or cut (usually it is cut in two halves, as is the case with cherry tomatoes), or served whole.