Fruit lovers' tip: how to ripen mangoes in just 6 hours at home

Our readers often ask whether it is possible to ripen mangoes at home. And this question is very relevant: in Russian supermarkets they sell hard, tart-tasting fruits. We have consulted with experts and are ready to give a detailed answer.

How to determine the ripeness of a mango?

People who have no experience in purchasing these fruits often focus on color, considering green skin to be a sign of unripeness. However, this is a mistake: there are varieties of mangoes that, even when fully ripe, retain their “youthful” coloring. The situation is the same with red peel - it may well be on fruits, which in reality turn out to be hard and tasteless.

To correctly determine ripeness, you need:

• smell the mango near the “tail” (a strong pleasant aroma indicates ripeness);
• Lightly press the skin with your fingertips. The pulp should be elastic, but not hard. If the dent formed by pressing quickly smoothes out, this is another sign that the fruit is ready to eat.

How to “ripen” a hard mango?

In countries where mangoes are often sold unripe, they have long known how to store mangoes at home and let it ripen to the desired condition.

Method one - bag + apples

Apples have a special property - they emit ethylene.This gas promotes the rapid ripening of fruits, so to quickly make a mango soft and sweet, just put it in a paper or plastic bag with apples and tie it loosely. The riper the apples, the more active the process.

If apples are not available, they can be replaced with ripe and even overripe (but not rotten) bananas.

Method two - pan + rice

Eastern and Asian countries have their own way of making mangoes ripen in a matter of days (or even hours). The local residents use rice for this - they pour it into a deep pan or other container, and then “bury” the hard and undamaged fruits there. It is advisable to ripen one fruit in one container, but if the pan is large in diameter, 2-3 mangoes can fit in it at once. In this case, they should not lie close to each other, but be separated by a layer of rice several centimeters thick.

If you decide to ripen the fruits in rice, check them every 6-12 hours. Otherwise, there is a risk that the mangoes will be overripe.

Method three - time + patience

This is the longest option. You just need to put the fruit in a vase and leave it on the table. Under the influence of sunlight, ripening processes will begin in it. How long it takes for an unripe mango purchased to acquire softness and heavenly taste depends on the variety and degree of ripeness. On average it is 5–10 days.

Why did the mango not ripen, but spoiled?

This happens rarely, but there are several reasons that provoke damage:

• There were “open wounds” on the skin - cuts, tears. They could contain pathogenic bacteria or fungi.
• The fruit began to rot even before being placed for ripening (as a result of a fall or blow, the flesh was injured, although the skin remained intact).
• Storage occurred at too low temperatures.

When bringing mangoes to ripeness at home, the main thing is to know exactly how to store mangoes It’s right to keep track of the process and prevent the fruit from becoming overripe or spoiled, because overripe fruits become too sugary, and rotten ones are no good for anything - they have to be thrown in the trash.