Store Your Cantaloupe In This Part Of The Fridge For Best Results

When the weather gets warmer, cantaloupes are in high demand, making their appearance at picnics and cookouts everywhere. Believed to trace its roots back to Africa, the humble cantaloupe — part of the gourd family — really starts to shine in the summer, with its sweet, refreshing taste and vibrant orange color. Plus, if it's kept in the right conditions, cantaloupe lasts longer than you think. But, this begs the question: how do you store this delicious melon to retain its taste and texture?

According to Michael Handal, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education's New York City campus, ripe cantaloupe should be stored in your refrigerator's crisper drawer, where the humidity is high to prevent the fruit from drying out. "Once ripened, cantaloupe should be transferred to the refrigerator at a temperature [between 36 degrees and 41 degrees Fahrenheit]," Handal told Tasting Table in an exclusive interview. 

However, if the melon is not quite ripe, different rules apply. "If purchased unripe, it is best to first store the uncut fruit at room temperature for a few days, in a paper bag, which will help trap the natural ethylene produced by the fruit, which aids in the ripening process," said Handal. For pre-cut melon, Handal recommends wrapping the slices in plastic wrap or placing them in an airtight container in the crisper drawer.

Before cutting and serving your cantaloupe, don't skip the most important first step: washing the fruit. Start by running the whole melon under cold water and then drying the fruit well. "As melons have been known to carry Salmonella or E coli on the surface of their rinds, this step will help ensure that bacteria are not transferred from the surface of the melon to the inside fruit," said Handal in an interview with Tasting Table. 

Once the cantaloupe is washed and dried, you can get creative with cutting it into a variety of shapes. Handal suggests cutting the whole melon in half, carving thick pieces with the rind removed, and wrapping the slices or chunks in prosciutto — a classic Italian food pairing and the ultimate summertime snack. Or, toss the cantaloupe into a simple fruit salad with honey lime dressing. 

More important than presentation is preserving freshness, and this is important to keep in mind with any leftover melon you wish to save for later. "In this case, it is best to keep melon that has the rind still attached in larger pieces, as cut melon will begin to soften from the rind, inwards," said Handal. "Keeping the melon in large pieces will help delay that process and prevent the cut fruit from softening too quickly." Kept in an airtight container in your crisper drawer, with rinds intact, ripe store-bought cantaloupe can stay fresh for up to five days.