What to Do If You Open a Durian Before It's Ripe? A Few Practical Fixes

As the king of fruits, durian is very nutritious. Although its smell is rather distinctive and some people have love-hate feelings about it, as long as you can tolerate the smell of durian, you can eat some in moderation in daily life, because regular consumption can strengthen the body, fortify the spleen and replenish qi, tonify the kidney and boost yang, and warm the body. Now let's take a look at what to do after opening an unripe durian!

What to Do After Opening an Unripe Durian?

After opening an unripe durian, you can ripen it. First wrap the whole durian in a sheet of newspaper, then burn it with fire. Once the whole sheet of newspaper has burned up, wrap it in another sheet of newspaper, then place it in a cool, dry, ventilated place. After one or two days the durian will become ripe, and then you can eat it. You can also put it together with apples or other ripe fruits. Ripe fruits produce ethylene, and ethylene has a ripening effect, so putting ripe fruits together with an unripe durian can help ripen it.

Can Unripe Durian Be Eaten?

Durian that is not fully ripe can still be eaten. It poses no harm to health; it is just that unripe durian does not taste as good as fully ripe durian, but there is not much difference in nutritional value, so you can choose whether to eat it based on your own situation. If you really want to eat it, it is best to eat something first before eating it, to avoid some unnecessary discomfort. However, if it is not ripe, you can use it to make desserts: put it in a blender and blend it smooth, then make it into pastries to eat; the taste is quite good too.

How to Pick a Ripe Durian?

1. Pinch the spikes: Hold the tips of two adjacent spikes with your fingers and gently pinch them inward. If they can easily "come closer" to each other, it proves the durian is softer and its ripeness is relatively good. If it feels very firm and simply cannot be pinched at all, it proves the durian is relatively unripe.

2. Look at the size: Picking a durian works on the same principle as picking a watermelon. Generally speaking, a larger durian will have better ripeness. Judging by the color of the outer shell, a good ripe durian is a relatively translucent yellow; if there is a lot of green, it proves it is not ripe enough.

3. Degree of splitting: When picking a durian, choose one that has just begun to split open, because exposed flesh is easily contaminated and also prone to spoiling. If you pick a relatively ripe durian that has just opened, it is best to enjoy it as soon as you get home, otherwise it will easily spoil.

4. Smell the odor: An unripe durian has a "grassy green smell," while a ripe durian has a rich, intense aroma that makes your mouth water; people who eat it often know it as soon as they smell it. However, if you smell an alcoholic odor from the durian, do not buy it under any circumstances.

5. Look at the appearance: If the durian mostly has gentle, conical spikes with a relatively large base, it proves the durian has more flesh and better ripeness. Conversely, if the spikes are mostly sharp and thin in shape, it proves the fruit is not very ripe.

6. Give it a shake: Carefully place your fingers on the indentations between the spikes on both sides of the durian and gently lift it up. After holding it steady, gently shake it with your hand. If you feel a slight bumping sensation inside or hear a slight sound, it proves the flesh is ripe and has separated from the shell.