#freshness

#freshness

Grocery stores that offer the best produce know it's crucial to nail a few key factors. First, produce needs to be fresh - that feeling when you get home and open a packet of cucumbers only to find that they're soggy and covered in slime is not a good one. Second, fruits and vegetables need to be priced right. While shoppers can expect to pay a premium of about 50 percent more for organically grown vegetables, anything more than that starts to feel unreasonable.

Like most vegetables at the grocery store these days, asparagus is available year-round, but that doesn't mean it's going to be great even when it's out of season. Most people in the U.S. have developed a habit of just grabbing whatever they are in the mood for that week, but for many vegetables, that is less than ideal. Imported tropical produce will pretty much taste the same no matter when you buy it, because none of it is local.

"My broadest two considerations here, with regard to ordering fish at a steakhouse, would be (1) turnover/freshness, and (2) preparation quality,"

Sometimes it's worth skipping the boxed chocolate cake mix and heading straight to the bakery section at your favorite grocery store. Many stores have ready-to-eat cakes that you can easily grab from the fridge or order at the bakery counter. I visited seven different grocery chains to sample slices and full cakes to see which ones deliver indulgent, crowd-pleasing results and which are best avoided.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice packs acidity, which is the key element that will keep your next fruit salad in its prime. The acidity slows down the oxidation of the fruit as it waits to be served at your picnic or dinner party.

Eating bad oysters can have serious health consequences, so knowing how to tell if your oysters are good enough to eat is a handy life skill.

Choosing great fruit is more than luck, it's a sensory practice. Successful shoppers engage all five senses, not just sight, to select quality fruit. A gentle squeeze can reveal ripeness, while a sweet aroma indicates freshness.

The unboxing process for my Citarella delivery was a 100% pure luxury situation, showcasing the freshest and best-presented shellfish I have ever purchased.