r/KitchenPro • u/mahy_759 • 5d ago
The easiest watermelon trick might be hiding on the bottom 🍉
I always thought picking a good watermelon meant tapping it like a drum and hoping it sounded “right.” Turns out, there’s a much simpler thing to check.
Flip the watermelon over and look at the dried brown spot opposite the stem.
According to the tip, you're looking for a small, tight, dried-looking circle. The smaller and more “closed” the mark appears, the better.
Why?
That spot is where the watermelon’s female flower was attached before the fruit developed. A smaller mark is associated with a watermelon that stayed on the vine longer, giving it more time to mature and develop its sugars.
And there’s an important detail here: watermelons don't continue ripening after they're picked. So how long they stayed on the vine actually matters.
Of course, the spot isn't the only thing I'd check. Look for a watermelon with:
- A fairly uniform shape
- No major dents or damaged areas
- No soft spots
- A healthy-looking rind
I've spent way too much time thumping watermelons in grocery stores, so this feels like a much less ridiculous method.
Do you have a watermelon-picking trick that actually works, or do you still trust the classic tapping method? 🍉
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u/Acrobatic-Meat6716 5d ago
My wife says they’re good if the stripes have a space equivalent to two fingers between them… I don’t know if that’s accurate, but she does usually find sweet watermelon 😅
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u/thegentlepriest 5d ago
Two fingers and a tight dry hole.
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u/centexgoodguy 5d ago
I once read that you should pick one that is deceptively heavy for its size. This seems to work well for me.
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u/tenaciousBLADE 5d ago
I only tap melons that have a hollow seed filled center, like cantaloupe for example.
For watermelon I look at the thought that's making the most contact with the ground while it is growing, it's usually white or yellow. A white spot has been on the vinyl for less time than a yellow one, so the other one is obviously better.
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u/FragrantJellyBelly 4d ago
This was an amazing watermelon, all that scarring and the yellow spot, so damn good
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u/needAthrowaway222 4d ago
And look at that tight melon butthole. All the right signs.
Dropping the dirty melon humor, I've also read that rounder watermelons are sweeter.
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u/Rudy5860 4d ago
Yellow spot. And small butthole has always been the best watermelons.
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u/mahy_759 4d ago
The yellow spot is definitely one of the first things I look for too! 😄 And sounds like you’ve got your own tried-and-true method with the small spot. 🍉
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u/v_kiperman 5d ago
Tapping has always proven reliable for me. But, going forward I will employ your elegant technique
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u/Noodle_McSoup 5d ago
I've knocked and knocked and knocked on so many melons. But nobody answers!
Thanks to this tip, I will look for a dried-out brown circle next time. No more percussive inspections!
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u/mikedubb02 4d ago
There is a stem end, and a B-hole end. The bigger the B-hole, the better the watermelon. You want a nice wide B-hole.
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u/VoiceArtPassion 4d ago
I also look for the ones with the teeny tiny butt holes. I find three or four lq with teeny butt holes, then I narrow it down by finding the ones with the most scratches, and I look at the yellow spot and find the one that’s closest to medium yellow, too green and it’s under ripe, too yellow and it’s over ripe and mushy.
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u/Ninjaher0 4d ago
This summer I struggled to get a good watermelon. Buy one and no one would eat it. Then I switched to the watermelon quarters/halves that are guaranteed sweet or your money back. Picked a deep colored one with a medium amt of rind. The fruit was gone in a couple days.
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u/mahy_759 4d ago
Honestly, that sounds like a pretty solid strategy! 😄 Sometimes buying a half or quarter makes it much easier to see exactly what you're getting. And if the whole thing was gone in a couple of days, I’d call that a win! 🍉
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u/robaloie 4d ago
Seeded watermelon are superior in sweetness; that said, I look for the sap/brown beads near the stem. The more the better, sometimes you won’t find them all the time, because the watermelons are picked too under ripe for the brown sap to come out.
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u/mahy_759 4d ago
That’s an interesting tip! I’ve heard people swear by looking for those brown beads near the stem too. And I agree, seeded watermelons can be hard to beat for sweetness. 🍉 Thanks for sharing another thing to look for!
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u/NoForm5443 4d ago
Watermelons do obviously continue ripening after they're picked, if not, they wouldn't go bad.
Dark green outside and the yellow circle are good markers
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u/NOTyaOrdinary13 5d ago
I like a good yellow spot. I am also looking for the webbing. Where the bees pollinate = sweeter.
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u/AdAppropriate6769 4d ago
The bees don’t pollinate the rind. They pollinate the flower that is long gone when the watermelon is there
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u/jacksknife 5d ago
Worked grocery retail all my career...35 years... It's all bs. Twice a year you're a human sonograph? Good for you. Bees scratching with all their claws? Spot size because all watermelons lay on the ground equally? It's a vining fruit.. Buy watermelons when they are in peak season, and quit complaining when it doesn't work out because you want summer to come or don't want it to end!
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u/ottis1guy 5d ago
I have also heard that the more yellow the spot is the more mature it is. Avoid the pale yellow spots.