This Is When To Choose Sour Cherries Over Sweet Ones

When cherries are in season, it's a hard flavor to beat. With so many artificial takes on the fruit, eating fresh cherries can be oh-so refreshing, especially when they are at their peak ripeness in the late spring and summer months. While you might have heard of sour cherry juice or seen it appear on menus in cocktails and fresh-pressed drinks, you might not know which cherry variety to look out for when shopping. Overall, there are two main types of cherries: sour and sweet. Apart from drinks, sour cherries are best selected when you plan to cook with them, as this amplifies their flavor.

Because more acidic sour cherries are rather tart compared to sweeter varieties, it makes sense that this type of cherry works best in cooked dishes. When sour cherries are used in desserts and even as a sweet component in savory dishes, the fruit is usually cooked with sugar. This helps to balance out the tart flavor of the sour cherries, giving the dishes a harmonious flavor. Try using them in Tasting Table's easy cherry clafoutis for a decadent treat. Sweet cherries, on the other hand, are best saved for more immediate uses.

Because sweet cherries are so delicious on their own without the help of any other ingredient, they can be used simply and in a more straightforward manner. For example, sweet cherries are ideal for snacking or eating raw in things such as salads (try them on a Caprese salad) or as a topping for yogurt. It's easy to find sweet cherries in your local grocery store (even if they are always expensive), but there are a few tips and signs you can look for when picking cherries to ensure you're getting the best of the bunch. 

The best sweet cherries will be firm and shiny with a dark color. Make sure there isn't any mold around the stem for both sweet and sour cherries, but there's no need to worry about whether the stem is on the cherries or not. Once you've picked out your cherries, store them on the countertop or in the fridge at home. Note that sour cherries have a shorter lifespan than sweet cherries, so you'll need to use them up quickly.