Post #241983 by Swanky on Mon, Jul 10, 2006 8:09 AM

I'll pass along this bit of knowledge that I received from Pablus, who received it from one of the top chefs in the country.

When picking limes and lemons in the produce isle, what you want to look for is complexion. Forget color and all that other stuff. Look for the citrus with the smoothest complexion. Easy with limes, a little trickier with lemons.

And if you didn't know, when picking pineapples, sniff their butts. Er, well, the bottom end. The better pineapple (generally, as I have had fantastic fresh pineapple in Mexico with no fragrance) will smell better at the bottom. Pineapple is picked ripe and does not ripen after picking. You can't let it sit around like other fruits. It just goes bad. And, if you put the top in the ground, it will grow...