Melon

A melon left on the counter will keep changing after it's cut from the vine. It softens, it turns more fragrant, and the rind takes on its own shade with time. What it won't do is get any sweeter. Taste it the day you bring it home — that's the sweetness you've got.

So how do you choose it? Smell the stem end. A ripe melon breathes out that thick, honeyed aroma right there, at the spot where it was attached. A faint, flat smell is a warning sign, though some sweet melons are simply quiet, so trust your nose but don't rely on it alone. Press gently at the blossom end, opposite the stem — it should give just slightly, never feel rock hard.

Now, some people say a melon left in the kitchen for a few days will get sweeter. No! It will get softer, maybe juicier in texture, but it won't taste any sweeter than the day you bought it. Softer does not mean sweeter.

That misconception leads to a sad kitchen mistake: buying a pale, odorless, hard melon and waiting for it to turn sweet. Choose with your nose at the market — not with patience at home.