Orange

Let me tell you about the orange, and let's start by picking one up.

A piece weighs around 200 grams, but that number alone tells you nothing — oranges come big and small, and a small one can be perfectly good. What matters is whether it feels heavy for its size in your hand. Press it, gently. The skin should give just a little and spring back, not feel loose or spongy. Break it open and you'll find juicy segments packed close, ready to come apart with your thumbs, and the citrus smell that jumps up when the peel tears.

Now, the misconception. Some people say the deeper the orange color, the sweeter the fruit. No! I've peeled plenty of pale oranges sweeter than the brightest ones in the shop, and plenty of deep-orange ones that were dry as paper inside. Chasing color, people leave the heavy fruit sitting in the box and carry home the pretty one — then wonder why it gives up almost no juice and tastes of nothing at all.

Judge an orange with your hands, by weight and firmness, not by the color of its skin. A hundred grams gives you 47 calories and almost no fat — and if you've chosen well, a glass of real, honest juice.