This is complete bullshit. There is no way to pick a “perfect” watermelon just by looking at it. You HAVE to cut it open and taste it.
Source: I used to cut fruit at a grocery store. I’ve literally cut thousands of watermelon and there is no pattern. Some are good, some are mediocre, some are terrible.
At the place I worked at, we let anyone request a sample of something. I would slice the watermelon in half, let them try a bit, and shrink-wrap it if they liked it. I sold a lot of watermelon that way! Ask an employee and they might do that for you. If the customer didn’t want it, we just used it for samples or fruit cups, so there wasn’t any waste.
You’re absolutely right. Cut thousands of watermelon for a grocery store and tested all the theories about how to pick a perfect one, none of them hold true. Also loved watching people tap on them like they’re watermelon whisperers lol
The watermelon smacking doesn’t get you any information on taste, true. But it does give you an idea of how crisp it is, which affects texture. The crisp watermelons are bouncy when you smack them, and the spongy ones absorb the smack.
The best way I’ve found, which works like 90% of the time, is to knock on it while holding it. It should sound somewhat hollow, but not empty. Too hollow means it’s not juicy and not hollow enough means it’s under ripe. Tells you nothing about flavor, but it at least allows you to pick one that is decently juicy and ripe. It’s all relative but if you knock on a few you’ll quickly find one that sounds in the middle. Pick that one and you’ll have at least a decent watermelon.
This is complete bullshit. There is no way to pick a “perfect” watermelon just by looking at it. You HAVE to cut it open and taste it.
Source: I used to cut fruit at a grocery store. I’ve literally cut thousands of watermelon and there is no pattern. Some are good, some are mediocre, some are terrible.
I’ve tried the cut and taste method. It works but it gets you thrown out of a lot of supermarkets.
At the place I worked at, we let anyone request a sample of something. I would slice the watermelon in half, let them try a bit, and shrink-wrap it if they liked it. I sold a lot of watermelon that way! Ask an employee and they might do that for you. If the customer didn’t want it, we just used it for samples or fruit cups, so there wasn’t any waste.
They’re usually OK with the first one, it’s when you sample 6 or 7 to find the best one that they start getting all uptight.
You’re absolutely right. Cut thousands of watermelon for a grocery store and tested all the theories about how to pick a perfect one, none of them hold true. Also loved watching people tap on them like they’re watermelon whisperers lol
The watermelon smacking doesn’t get you any information on taste, true. But it does give you an idea of how crisp it is, which affects texture. The crisp watermelons are bouncy when you smack them, and the spongy ones absorb the smack.
The best way I’ve found, which works like 90% of the time, is to knock on it while holding it. It should sound somewhat hollow, but not empty. Too hollow means it’s not juicy and not hollow enough means it’s under ripe. Tells you nothing about flavor, but it at least allows you to pick one that is decently juicy and ripe. It’s all relative but if you knock on a few you’ll quickly find one that sounds in the middle. Pick that one and you’ll have at least a decent watermelon.