How to Buy a Kiwi

Kiwifruit

Kiwifruits are small, brown, fuzzy fruits that are actually berries. They have been shown to be the most nutritionally dense fruit commonly available. Eating several servings of kiwi per week has been shown to help children with breathing problems and they contain vitamins, minerals and fiber that are known to fight cancer. Because these fruits are relatively inexpensive, widely available, and wonderfully delicious they are becoming more and more common in kitchens throughout America. Kiwifruits are picked when ripe, but firm, and knowing how to buy them is important to get the best flavor. This guide will help you choose the best kiwifruit at your local market.

Instructions

1. Find a kiwifruit that is unblemished and intact. The size of the fruit is unrelated to the flavor, so it does not matter whether you choose small or large fruits.

2. Press slightly on the fruit. Your fingers should be able to press the flesh slightly, but not too much. If the kiwi is too soft the flavor will not be good.

3. Know that fruits that are left to ripen at room temperature are the most flavorful. To enhance ripening time, place them in a paper bag. Putting an apple in the paper bag with the kiwi will quicken the ripening process even more. Ripe kiwis can be kept in the refrigerator for several days and up to three weeks when unripe.

Tips & Warnings

• Kiwifruit has actinic and bromic acids, which act as a tenderizer. For this reason, do not add kiwi to gelatin because it won't congeal.

• If you add kiwi to fruit salad, do so at the last minute because it will begin to break the other fruits down and make them mushy.

• Kiwifruits have twice the vitamin C as an orange twice their size.