The Best Way To Store Watermelon And Keep It Juicy

Watermelon is synonymous with hot summer days punctuated with cold, sweet slices of the delicious fruit. When in season, watermelon is a wonderful addition to flavorsome, icy cocktails and refreshing, fruity desserts. It's one of those regulars that is often found in the fruit basket or fridge, ready to be sliced and enjoyed. Now that we've mentioned it, is the fruit basket on the countertop the ideal place to store your watermelon to keep it fresh, crisp, and packed with sweetness? Or is the fridge a better place?

Many foodie sources say that the countertop is your watermelon's ultimate storage haven until you're ready to slice into it — so basically, room temperature is best. This does come with some caveats. A temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit is considered ideal for storing a whole watermelon. At this temperature, your watermelon can stay at peak condition for 7 to 10 days. If you live in a hotter or colder climate where 55 degrees Fahrenheit is not a sustainable room temperature, going by this "rule" and leaving your watermelon on the countertop won't be as effective. Hotter temperatures can degrade the watermelon's quality, leaving a mushy, slimy texture, and an unpleasant smell and taste. Colder temperatures can result in your watermelon losing flavor and nutrients.

It's also important to keep a whole watermelon out of direct sunlight if you're storing it on the countertop. Natural sunlight seems like it would benefit your watermelon's ripening process, but it won't. Watermelon stops ripening the moment it is harvested, so the sun's warmth will eventually cause it to overheat, resulting in limp, unappetizing flesh inside.

If you bask in a warmer climate, refrigerating your watermelon is definitely the preferred option. The cool circulating air inside the fridge helps to slow down the maturation of your watermelon. Cut watermelon should always be refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. Airtight storage staves off odors from other foods from being absorbed by fresh watermelon, and acts as a barrier against bacteria. Stored this way, cut watermelon lasts in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You'll definitely want to pop a whole watermelon into the fridge if it was refrigerated at the store. This is because you don't want to break what is called the "cold chain." If you bring previously-refrigerated, cut watermelon home and leave it on the countertop, the change in temperature could be just what bacteria need to kick off a little community inside the fruit. Breaking the cold chain can also accelerate a decline in the quality of your watermelon's crisp flesh and the nutrient load inside the fruit.

What about freezing? It's generally not recommended to freeze your watermelon. The flesh can turn mushy and mealy when defrosted due to the extra water content the melon takes in while freezing. With that said, if you're going to freeze watermelon chunks for later use in watermelon cocktails or smoothies, like this divine Frozen Watermelon-Ginger Margarita, then freezing becomes a practical option.