Tips and Tricks to Ripen Mangoes at Home

As summer approaches closer with every week, our eyes are all set on the markets with the longing for one fruit. Mangoes are absolutely worth the wait, and to spend an afternoon gorging on those great fruits is the epitome of happiness. Finding mangoes at the right time with the right degree of ripeness is a game of luck. But if you get your hand on a box of raw mangoes and can’t wait to consume them, there are a few ways you can ripen mangoes quickly and enjoy them.

How to Ripen a Mango Faster so You Don’t Have to Wait?

If you cannot wait any longer to enjoy the king of all fruits, there are some easy techniques that you can put to use right at home. These don’t use any chemicals and help the mango ripen naturally and quickly.

1. Using Room Temperature to Ripen the Mango

One of the best ways to let the mango ripen properly is to let it take its own time. Yes, it might test your patience and a few varieties of mangoes might take longer than others to ripen fully, but a mango that has ripened in good time and in a natural way will always be juicier and plumper than the others. Its smell as well will be quite strong and alluring.

2. Placing Mangoes in a Bowl Full of Rice

Many of us might have witnessed our mothers hide mangoes inside a box or a bag filled with rice. Well, it was not to hide the mango from our young hungry selves, but to allow it to ripen faster. Even popcorn kernels seem to serve a similar purpose in such a condition.

This is a proven method to speed up ripening because it not only cuts down the number of days considerably, but also lets partially ripe mangoes be fully done even within half a day. The major purpose that the rice or kernels serve is to allow the natural ethylene gas surrounding the mango to be restricted around the fruit itself, thus facilitating the ripening process.

3. Wrapping the Mangoes in a Newspaper

Whether wrapped in a newspaper or placed inside a paper bag, both the techniques can quicken the ripening of the fruit considerably. The concept behind it is similar to the one above, which involves keeping the ethylene gas trapped around the mango itself. The softness of the fruit and the strong smell are a good sign to know that the fruit has ripened.

Many households also choose to cover them with onions or place apples or bananas along with the mango. These emit more ethylene gas and further speed up the process.

How to Determine the Ripeness of Mango?

No fruits come with a label that specifies whether it has ripened completely or not. With mangoes, there are a few of them that are quick ways to get a hang of.

1. Observe the Surface for Black Spots

In most cases, people avoid mangoes that have black spots or splashes on their surface, and with good reason. Such marks usually indicate that the mangoes are about to go bad. But this is not always the case. At times, black marks are an indication that the mango will be sweeter than usual, which is why it is necessary to check the skin closely as well. If the black area is soft and wrinkly, then it is a sure sign of spoilage. However, if the skin is smooth and tight with just a black mark on it, the mango might be at its peak and is good to consume.

2. Colours Are Not the Most Reliable Indicators

There is a tendency to grab mangoes that are have a bright red tinge to them or even a scorching yellow shade to their skin. While such mangoes have a better chance of being ripe, this is not always the case. Some varieties do tend to have such colours naturally. Therefore, relying plainly on them won’t be helpful. This needs to be combined with their smell and texture.

3. Squeezing the Mango Gently

As the mango ripens, it begins to get pulpier inside, which changes the overall consistency of it. Therefore, if you tend to press a ripe mango, the surface kind of gives way and the fruit itself feels a tad softer than usual. If the colour is yellow but the mango still seems slightly hard or the skin doesn’t depress even after pressing, then it is yet to ripen fully and needs more time.

4. Sniff the Mango for a Fruity Smell

While a mango might emit its smell all over once it ripens fully, the strongest possibility of detecting that is towards the stem end of the fruit. If you sniff at that point and tend to find an extremely strong fruity aroma that has a slight musk tinge to it, then chances of the mango being ripe are pretty good. If that smell doesn’t seem strong and you have to smell very hard to find any existence of it, then there’s still time to go for it to ripen.

How to Store the Ripened Mangoes?

Ripened mangoes are best consumed as soon as possible because that allows you to taste their best flavour and enjoy what makes the mango such a great fruit. Since that may not always be possible, there are a few ways to store them for later consumption.

• You may peel and chop or dice the mango into small pieces and store them in an airtight box inside your refrigerator. This can keep it good for a bunch of days. If you want to store them for longer, then freezing those pieces is possible for nearly half a year.

• On the other hand, you can simply keep the mango as is in your refrigerator. This slows down the ripening process, which is why it is important to do so only with mangoes that are already ripe. Such mangoes can last for a week or so.

It is quite handy to know the various methods to ripen mangoes quickly. But how to preserve a ripe mango properly is also important so that you can enjoy the fruits at the time of your choosing. Mango is a seasonal fruit, but with the right techniques, you can enjoy the preserved fruit at any time of the year.

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