Fruit: How To's

If you're looking for a fabulous gift, why not check out this tutorial with Martha Stewart and see what to do to create a beautiful fruit basket. Bananas, apples, peaches, grapes, cherries, oranges, pineapple, kiwi, tangerines - any fruit you want! Of course, make sure you're picking fresh, ripe and in season fruit so your gift can be enjoyed right away! And, you'll want a basket. Typically, these are made from wicker, but you could get creative and choose some other kind of basket as well!

Applesauce isn't boring at all! This video shows you a few ways you can add some jazz to your applesauce. The key is in getting the right variety of apple, and making sure that your apples are fresh and ripe.

Half snack, half dessert and completely delicious! All you need to make these are: Granny Smith (green) apples, caramel, chocolate melting wafers and your favorite chopped nuts. You will also need some lollipop sticks or bamboo skewers and a small hammer.

Bacon goes with everything... even bananas and apricots! This appetizer is sure to be a hit. For a recipe that serves six, you will need: 12 strips of thin cut bacon, 6 firm bananas, juice of half a lime, 1 cup of apricot or pineapple jam, and a dash of cayenne pepper or chili powder.

The watermelon is an esthetically-pleasing fruit, but can be made even more so with some basic carving. Watch this video to learn how you can use a carving knife to turn a watermelon into a beautiful rose-shaped centerpiece that really takes advantage of the watermelons beautiful pink inside.

Do you love figs but don't love how the fruit's shell sometimes pinches and irritates your lips and tongue when you eat it? Then take a gander at this video to learn how to consume figs without any bodily injuries.

In this tutorial, we learn how to open a coconut to drink the milk. To start, you will need to grab a large bowl and place the coconut over it. Then, use a knife to hit it with the blunt side. Hit all around the coconut until you have cut an even edge around the middle of the fruit. You can also use a coconut to beat the knife into the coconut to open it up. From here, you can pour the milk from the coconut into a large bowl. Then you can drink it or use it in a recipe, enjoy!

Watermelons are delicious and juicy, but they also cause a mess when you try to carve them most of the time. Not if you do it this way! Watch this video to learn how you can cube a watermelon without getting sticky juice everywhere.

In this tutorial, we learn how to prepare a cantaloupe. First, cut the top and the bottom off of the cantaloupe. After you have these cut off, take a sharp knife and cut from the top to the bottom of the fruit. Cut just the skin off, making sure you get the least amount of orange left on the skin when it's cut off. Continue to cut all the way around the cantaloupe until there is no more green or skin left on the fruit. After this, cut the fruit in half and then scoop out all the seeds. From...

In this tutorial, we learn how to open a variety of coconuts. These fruits can be extremely difficult to open up, but it can be done. First, you will need to have a very large and sharp knife and all of your types of coconuts. To open them up, you will need to first crack the skin of the coconut with the sharp knife. On other coconuts, you can simply use the knife to cut the outer skin off to get to the milk that is in the middle. Whichever way you choose, just make sure you have a very sharp...

Orange supremes are, as the name implies, supreme versions of oranges. Usually when you nom on an orange you get the thick pith and webby membrane that sticks all the orange slices together. While we don't mind getting all the extra fluff with our orange, when it comes to food presentation it's nice to get all that off.

You don't have to know what kathal pulav means (jack fruit pulao, or jack fruit plus rice pilaf) to enjoy its mildly sweet and rich flavor. Jack fruit is a supersized fruit (the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, in fact ) comes from a Southeast Asian tree that grows in tropical regions.

In this tutorial, we learn how to cut open a coconut. Coconuts in nature look different than they do when you buy them at the grocery store. They come in green, orange, and yellow. The white ones you see are shaved off before you buy them at the store. To open up a coconut, you are going to need a machete, which is a very large knife. Make sure the knife is sharpened, then hold the coconut on the handle and slice it at an angle using the machete. Use force when cutting so the coconut comes...

Papaya's are a tropical fruit that is very healthy and a little sweet. But knowing when it's ripe is the true challenge. It boils down to a few factors that include color, smell and other visual cues. In this video you will get tips on what to look for as well as alternatives to getting your papaya to ripen.

You know how sometimes you'll slice up an apple for lunch, toss it into a ziplock bag, and then open it a few hours later only to find a soggy, brown mess? Fruit discoloration due to oxidation is an everyday fact, and often the disgusting-looking browned fruit prevents us from wanting to actually eat it anymore.

Jackfruit, also known as katal in Hindi, is an interesting tree species of the mulberry family that produces fruit (also called jackfruit) that is a vegetable before it ripens and becomes a fruit once it ripens. Weird, we know.

Generally if you can get your knife through a peach and produce smaller, more bite-sized chunks, that's good enough. We're not all too picky about how beautiful our peach slices look when we're scarfing one down post workout, but sometimes it's important to give a good presentation.

One of the truest art forms in grocery shopping and produce picking is getting the perfect watermelon. Not everyone knows how to do it properly, and some just do it without realizing what they are actually checking for. In this great video you will learn the techniques and the signs of what makes a great watermelon. But even with all that, as he says in the video, it's still 10% luck.

In this tutorial, we learn how to prepare a pomegranate for eating. These are very messy fruits, so make sure you place it on a surface that has a plate underneath it. Take a sharp knife and cut down the center of the pomegranate until you reach the bottom. Now, quarter the halves and push the skin back so the seeds are exposed. As you do this, you can pick the seeds off and eat them, or place into a bowl to eat later on. When finished, enjoy eating these delicious seeds with your favorite...

What's the best way to make sure your fruits, specifically melons, are staying fresh and tasty? Wrapping and storing your melons properly is the key to freshness. YouProduceGuy has the tips you need to make sure you wrap your melons perfectly for long-lasting fruit delight, so you can have it ready for a quick healthy snack from the fridge, or even have on display before you cut into them for a party.

The cantaloupe is a troublesome fruit for some melon shoppers, because it's a really hard fruit to tell the ripeness of, like most hard-shelled melons. If you've been riddled with how to bring home the ripest and freshest cantaloupe melon, then YourProduceGuy has answers for you. See how to determine the ripeness of this delicious melon.

Every fruit has a tell. A tell is the perfect way to determine whether or not the fruit is ripe or not, and this video tip from YourProduceGuy will show you exactly what that tell is for honeydew melons. Watch the whole melon video, to make sure you don't bring anymore rotten honeydews home from the grocery store.

In this video, we learn how to carve a mango creatively. First, cut small circle in the middle of the side on the mango. Next, cut out circles around the middle to make a cute flower shape! Make sure you take the middle peel out so you can see the yellow of the mango show through. Carve in leaves on the side where the petals are. Continue to carve a smaller line to make the image look shadowed. Use your own talents to make this all your own and be as creative as you'd like to be. When finished,...

In this tutorial, we learn how to open a fresh young coconut. First, you want to grab a sharp and large knife, then go around the coconut cutting the husk off. After you have done this, you should be down to the nut of the coconut. Some areas of the husk will be thicker than the others. Next, use the corner of the knife to knock the top corner of the coconut. After this, take the knife and stick it into the hole that you made. Wedge it in there slowly, then turn the knife towards you and cut...

Berries, berries, berries! That's what you get in the summertime satisfying fruit dessert. It's a fresh berry pudding, full of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It's unbelievably tasty.

Love mangos, but never got around to eating fresh ones? Are you addicted to mango juice and mango yogurt? Well, nothing beats the fresh test of a real, freshly cut mango, so you have to go out and get some, but before you do, you're going to need to know the proper way to slice and dice these fruity beasts.

What's the perfect party platter for summer? Watermelon. But you have to present this party centerpiece in a beautiful manner to impress your guests, and this video will show you how to turn a simple watermelon into a stunning centerpiece with just one simple but sharp paring knife. It's amazing what you can do with a few twists and turns and a little patience. Great for a party or a special night at home.

Just because the grocery store sells produce, doesn't mean it's all good and ready to eat. Mangos are a particularly tricky fruit to get right… er… ripe. Tommy Atkins mangos the more common mangos, and are usually grown in Mexico (originally Florida). When choosing a Tommy Atkins mango, you need to look for a mango without bruising and with as much color as possible. Green is not quite ready yet. Red is excellent, but a beautiful mix of red and yellow is the best.

If you've been eating peaches the same way since you were little and wish for a different approach, this next tutorial should help. In the video, you'll find out how to prepare peaches using two easy methods: grill and broil.

In this video, we learn how to carve a papaya flower design. To start, you will want to take a sharp object and outline the drawing you want to make. Carve this onto the papaya, then remove the skin as you are making different shapes. If you want to do a large flower design, carve layers into the papaya to make the flower look more realistic. Take time to carve the different petals, stems, and other details. This is a fun way to make something beautiful with your food, and can double as a...

In this clip, learn how to make Betty's most elegant dessert - strawberries romanoff! This tasty twist on summer fruit is a great, simple dish to serve your guests when dinner is done. You will lick the bowl when you finish these sweet babies - they are so good!You Will Need:*1 quart fresh strawberries*1 cup confectioner's sugar*1 cup heavy cream*1 teaspoon almond extract*2 tablespoons cointreau or light orange juice

A few minutes after your peel or slice apples, they start to turn brown. In this tutorial, Betty invites you into her kitchen and shows you how to make lots of apples in advance and keep them fresh and colorful for hours. Yum!

Interested in peeling a dragon fruit by hand? With the proper technique, it's easier than you'd think. So easy, in fact, that this free video lesson can present a complete overview of the peeling process in about a minute's time. For more information, and to get started peeling your own pitahayas, watch this video guide.

Interested in cutting up a dragon fruit? With the proper technique, it's easier than you'd think. So easy, in fact, that this free video cooking lesson can present a complete overview of the process in about two minutes. For more information, including the full recipe, and to get cutting up your own pitahayas, watch this video guide.

You buys bananas, but you never seem to eat them because by the time you get your banana craving, they've morphed into soft gooey black apparatus of evil. If you're bananas are blackening quicker than you can scarf them down, next time, slow down the ripening process by separating them instead of leaving them in a bunch. Fresh!

In this clip, learn how to peel an orange in the healthiest way possible. This way is easier for people with muscle problems because you use a knife, keeps you hands cleaner and retains part of the rind so you stay even healthier and get even more vitamins and minerals. Follow talk show host Jenny Jones as she demonstrates a fast, delicious and efficient way to enjoy more citrus.