| How to Tell if a Watermelon Is Bad Posted: 01 Oct 2017 05:00 PM PDT Watermelon is a delicious summer treat, but to protect your health, it's important to know if a watermelon is bad. One way you could discover whether your watermelon is bad is by checking for mold or a foul smell. You could also use the expiration date to tell if the watermelon is bad. EditIdentifying Signs of Spoilage - Check for mold on the outside. Mold or dark-colored spots on the outside of the watermelon could indicate that it has gone bad. The mold might be black, white, or green, and have a fuzzy appearance.[1]
- Look for a healthy color outside. The watermelon should have either a consistent pine green shade or a striped appearance. Striped watermelons have alternating lime-green and darker pine-colored stripes.[2]
- Look for a deep pink or red inside. These colors indicate the watermelon is healthy. If your watermelon is a different color (black, for instance), do not eat it.[3]
- Different varieties of watermelon have different internal appearances. Desert King, Tendergold, Yellow Baby, and Yellow Doll watermelons have yellow or orange flesh.[4]
- Beware of gritty and dry watermelon flesh. When watermelon is no longer good, the crisp flesh will start to shrivel. The flesh might even be pulling away from the seeds.[5] In other cases, the watermelon might become slimy and mushy.
- Smell the watermelon before cutting into it. A healthy, edible watermelon should smell sweet and fresh. If it smells tangy or sour, it's gone bad and should be thrown it away.[6]
EditMeasuring the Freshness Using Dates - Use the expiration date. If you're eating pre-cut watermelon you bought from the market, the container should include an eat-by, best-by, or other expiration date. This date lets you know how long you have until the watermelon goes bad.[7]
- Eat cut watermelon within five days. Properly stored, sliced watermelon will stay good three to five days. Make eating it a priority to prevent it from going bad.[8]
- Eat unrefrigerated, uncut watermelon within 10 days. After about a week, uncut, unrefrigerated watermelon will start to turn. Eat uncut, unrefrigerated watermelon as soon as possible.[9]
- Don't eat refrigerated, uncut watermelon after 2-3 weeks. After about two weeks, refrigerated, uncut watermelon will start to turn. To prevent your uncut, refrigerated watermelon from going bad, eat it within two weeks of purchase.[10]
EditExtending the Shelf Life of Watermelon - Refrigerate your whole or sliced watermelon. Watermelons are typically refrigerated at a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius (55 F). Storing your fruit at 21 Celsius (70 F) will increase its lycopene and beta-carotene content (both of which are important antioxidants).[11]
- Store cut watermelon in an airtight container. A resealable bag or container is the best place for watermelon. This will preserve its flavor and freshness.[12]
- In a pinch, wrap your watermelon tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.[13]
- Use caution when freezing watermelon. Some people advise against freezing watermelon altogether, since thawing or cutting open a frozen watermelon piece could cause the juice to drip out.[14] If you decide to live on the wild side and want to freeze your watermelon, place it in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. The watermelon will stay good for 10-12 months.[15]
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| How to Win an Eating Contest Posted: 01 Oct 2017 09:00 AM PDT Competitive eating contests give you the chance to win prize money and enjoy a very hearty meal. Eating contests come in all forms. You may be competing over spiciness, speed, quantity, or some combination of factors. To blow away your competition and win contests, you'll need to prepare in the months and weeks before the contest. Adhere to a strict training plan right before the contest starts and follow a clear strategy during the contest itself. Soon enough, you'll be sporting a gold medal! EditDoing Long-Term Preparation - Consult with your doctor to make sure you can participate. Eating contests can be tough on your digestive system and overall health. You'll also need to exercise regularly to stay healthy while training. Either call or make an appointment with your doctor to have a conversation about whether you can handle the contest.
- Pick your contest. Go online and use your favorite search engine to find contests near you, or in the closest major city. Choose a contest where you'll be eating food you enjoy, as this will make training and competing easier. Decide whether you want to compete over speed and quantity, or something else.
- Most contests will require you to try to eat the largest amount of a certain food in a timed competition. This means you'll need to train to eat a lot of food as quickly as you can.
- Other contests may just want you to eat their Mega-Hot spicy wings.
- Make sure it's a contest you're allowed to compete in. Some are reserved for "amateurs," and they'll bar professional eaters from competing.[1] This means that if you've already earned money from winning an eating contest, you won't be allowed in.[2]
- Learn the rules of the contest to train properly. There are lots of strategies competitors use to win, but some won't be allowed at certain competitions. Check your competition's website or call to ask about specific strategies and requirements, including:[3]
- Dunking, which means that you "dunk" foods into liquids before putting them in your mouth. This makes solids easier to chew and swallow.
- Anything-goes eating, which allows you to do anything you want to eat food faster.
- Picnic-style eating, which means that you need to eat food how it's meant to be eaten. You can't dunk, mash food up into balls, or separate items that go together (a hotdog and a bun, for example).
- Set up a strategy designed for your contest. Once you know the rules, plan for them. Write down all the different elements of the meal you'll be eating, and think about how you'll tackle each one. Determine what parts of the contest will be easiest and hardest for you based on your current eating habits.[4]
- For example, if you know your mouth gets dry when you eat lots of bread, stuffing buns in your mouth is going to be tough. Plan to address this in training, and strategize by sipping liquids with the breads.
- Increase your jaw strength by chewing faster. As soon as you've signed up for your contest, begin doing long-term training. Chew gum whenever you can. When you eat, chew faster. These exercises will help strengthen your jaw.[5]
- Learn to swallow bigger bites for speed eating. Start by training with water. Take a big gulp, tilt your head back, and allow gravity to help you swallow. Increase the amount of water until your mouth is completely full, and try to swallow this gulp. Practice daily.[6]
- Once you're comfortable with water, graduate to soft foods like rice and quinoa. You can then do more difficult foods, like steak. Move slowly through this process, as you don't want to choke.
- Never do this kind of training without another person present. If you do have a problem, you need to be able to get help quickly.
- Train with low-calorie, high-fiber foods. If your eating contest will judge you on the quantity of food you can eat, you'll need to work on expanding your stomach. Begin eating large amounts of low-calorie, high-fiber foods that fill you up quickly.[7]
- How much you need to eat depends on your size and competition. Some competitive eaters will eat several pounds of cooked or raw cabbage, for example, in a single sitting while in training.[8]
- High-fiber foods will make you feel fuller earlier, and you'll stay full longer. This will make training with them more difficult than with other foods, because you'll be fighting against that feeling of fullness.[9]
- You can also train with fruits like grapes and melons, as well as steamed mixed vegetables.
- While some competitive eaters also train by chugging gallons of water or milk in a single sitting, this could be dangerous for your health. Stick with the cabbage.
EditTraining Right before the Contest - Use training sessions to figure out which techniques work for you. Try different strategies, such as dunking, tilting your head back to swallow, or eating lots of small bites that you can swallow without lots of chewing. Pick the ones that work best for you.[10]
- Remember to stick to the rules of the competition in all your training sessions.
- Eat the exact food from the contest two weeks out. Use the competition website or call to find out the exact brands and preparation of the foods you'll be eating. Mimic this meal as closely as you can to get used to the food. Don't eat the amount of food you'll be eating at the contest, however.[11]
- This will help you anticipate any trouble spots with the meal.
- You should do this a minimum of one time, and a few more times if you feel like you need the extra preparation.
- Begin expanding your stomach one week before the contest. During the beginning of the week, eat one extra large meal during the day, then keep your other meals normal. On days four and five, you should have two large meals only.[12]
- The actual meal sizes will depend on you and your typical portions. As a general rule, try doubling what you'd normally have.
- For the beginning of the week, consider eating a light breakfast and having the large meal at lunch. You can then eat a normally sized dinner.
- For the end of the week, have your large meals in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
- Eat a max-out meal 22 hours before the contest. A "max-out" meal means that you should eat as much as you physically can in one sitting. Make this a low-calorie meal with high-fiber foods. Be sure to have this meal no less than 18 hours before the beginning of the contest.[13]
- Visit an all-you-can-eat salad bar and continue eating until you're at the point of discomfort. You don't want to go too far, however, and make yourself sick.
- This is the last real meal you should have before the contest.
- Drink water and get sleep the night before. Wait an hour after your max-out meal, then begin drinking some water to help your digestion. Get as much sleep as you can to feel rested on the morning of the contest.[14]
- Avoid eating solid foods on the morning of the contest. Wake up several hours before the contest begins to get your body moving. Drink a large glass of water and eat a non-solid breakfast an hour after you get up.[15]
- For non-solid foods, try a protein shake or a yogurt.
- If your contest is in the late afternoon or evening, you can add some light solids to your breakfast, such as eggs or cereal.
- You may also want to exercise before the contest, as this could increase your hunger level. Don't overdo it, as you don't have a lot in your body to keep you going. Try a brisk walk or a light jog for 20 minutes.
EditStrategizing during the Contest - Use a stopwatch to keep track of your time. The contest officials will almost certainly keep time for you. They'll also periodically tell competitors how much time is left. Still, it's a good idea for you to have your own watch. Place it somewhere you can easily see it while eating.[16]
- Be sure to follow the rules. Remind yourself of the rules before the contest begins. Don't break any of them, as this will automatically disqualify you from most contests.[17]
- Listen to music to stay focused. So long as it's not against the rules, bring headphones and something to play music on. You can create a special playlist designed to help you focus. Be sure to put music that pumps you up at the end of the list, as you'll need the extra help.[18]
- If you need ideas for songs, look online for "music to keep you going during an eating contest." Music for workouts will also work well.
- Eat proteins first. Attack the meats while they're still warm, fresh, and taste good. These will also be some of the heavier elements of the contest, so it's important to get these down as fast as you can.[19]
- Move on to carbs next. Once you've finished the meats, you can move on to the carbs (such as buns and french fries). These pair well with liquid, so you can sip on something to help them go down easier.[20]
- Eat fast in the beginning but finish strong. Take advantage of your high energy at the beginning of the contest and eat quickly. Once you've gotten past that initial burst of energy, settle into a steady rhythm. Use this rhythm to help push you through to the end. You want a completely clean plate when it's all over![21]
- Add new flavors with different beverages to keep yourself going. Usually, contests will allow you to pick your beverages. Plan to have a cup of water, something flavored but non-carbonated, and something carbonated and flavored. To keep your taste buds energized throughout the contest, drink the water in the beginning, the non-carbonated beverage next, and something like a soda last.[22]
- Hop up and down to swallow faster. If you're allowed to stand up and move around, use this move to allow gravity to help you out. Be sure it doesn't interfere with the rhythm of you picking up food and taking new bites, however. [23]
- Only try this if you found that it worked for you in training.
- Press against your stomach to push food lower. If you start really feeling full, gently push on your stomach. You may be able to move the food down slightly, giving you more room.[24]
- To win an eating contest, you need to be confident that you can do it! Attitude is key.
- Don't sign up for more than one or two contests per month. You should also train with lower-calorie foods when you can, and make sure you maintain a very steady exercise plan.
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| How to Fix Salsa if You Made It Too Hot Posted: 01 Oct 2017 01:00 AM PDT Whether you forgot to deseed your peppers or used a tablespoon of cayenne instead of a teaspoon, making salsa too spicy is an easy mistake. However, there's no need to throw out your dish if tasting it left you with flames shooting from your ears. Try adding cooling ingredients like citrus juice, fruit, or dairy. If you don't want to get experimental, just make another batch without the spicy ingredients, then combine it with the original batch. You'll have twice as much salsa as you planned for, but you can easily can or freeze any leftovers. EditTaming the Heat - Add more tomato to red salsas. If your salsa is tomato-based, just add a little more chopped tomato. As with any additional ingredient, the amount needed will depend on the size of your batch and how mild you need it to be.[1]
- Try adding half a tomato for starters, then add more to taste.
- Keep a glass of milk handy to cool off after your taste tests!
- Grab some citrus, sugar, or honey. Adding acid and sweetness are well known ways to tame a spicy dish. Try squeezing in the juice of a quarter lime and a half teaspoon of sugar or honey.[2]
- Remember you can always add more, so mix in additional flavors little by little and taste as you go.
- Mix in a cilantro and citrus puree. Cilantro and citrus were probably in your original recipe, so adding a little more will help you tone down your salsa without changing it too dramatically. Strip the leaves from a dozen or so cilantro sprigs, chop them coarsely, then blend them with the juice or a lime or an orange.[3]
- Add a teaspoon at a time until you've gotten your salsa under control. If you have any leftover, it'll make a great condiment for tacos, sandwiches, eggs, and stir fries.
- Try chopped cucumber or avocado. Get your salsa cool as a cucumber! Adding cucumber or avocado can ease the heat but, if they weren't in the original recipe, they might change your salsa's texture and flavor. If you're open to a little experimentation, chop up one or both to mix in with your salsa.[4]
- Tone down the heat with pineapple, peaches, or melon. As with cucumber or avocado, adding sweet fruits will really switch up your original recipe, but you might come up with something delicious. Try dicing up fresh or canned pineapple, a ripe peach, watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew. Fold the fruit in a little at a time, and stop when you've achieved your desired spice level.[5]
- Serve a scoop of sour cream. If all you have on hand is sour cream, you're in luck - dairy is a powerful spice neutralizer. You could just serve your salsa with a scoop of sour cream on top or on the side. If you're open to making a different kind of dip, mix sour cream into the salsa until you've curbed the burn.[6]
EditDoubling Your Batch - Make another batch of salsa without any spice. If you want to stick with your original recipe, your best bet is to make another batch without the jalapenos, cayenne, or other spicy ingredients. Roast your tomatillos, dice your onions and tomatoes, chop your cilantro, squeeze your citrus, and do any other prep according to your recipe.[7]
- If you're serving salsa at a party, it might be best to stick to a recipe you know. Tweaking your salsa by adding new ingredients is like an experiment, and you might not want to use your guests as guinea pigs.
- Refrigerate your salsa if you need to make an ingredient run. You probably bought the amount of ingredients needed for one batch, so a quick trip to the grocery store might be necessary. If you need to go to the store, just cover your salsa and store it in the fridge.
- Acid in the salsa helps prevent bacterial growth, but it still shouldn't be left out for more than a couple hours.[8]
- Combine your two batches. After you've purchased and prepped ingredients for the second batch, mix them up with your super spicy salsa.[9] If you filled up your largest mixing bowl with the original batch, you might have to get creative.
- If you have a large stainless steel roasting pan or saucepan, try pouring half of each batch into it. You should then have enough room in your mixing bowl to add the rest of the second batch.
- Avoid aluminum products, which will react with the acid in the salsa and leave your dish with an unpleasant metallic taste.[10]
- You could also use the largest freezer bags you have to mix your batches.
- Simmer leftover salsa before canning or freezing it. The main issue with doubling your batch is that you're left with an insane amount of salsa. Whether you plan on canning or freezing your leftover salsa, you'll need to simmer it to reduce water content and kill germs, which is an essential part of the canning process.[11]
- Simmer your salsa uncovered in deep saucepan over low heat, and stir frequently. Depending on your salsa's water content, simmer it for up to 60 minutes, or until you've achieved a thick consistency.
- Make sure your recipe is suitable for canning. Salsa needs to be acidic enough to be safely canned, but not all recipes contain enough acid.[12] Your recipe should note whether it's suitable for canning. If you're not sure, just freeze it to stay on the safe side. You can store frozen salsa for up to six months.[13]
- If you accurately doubled the ingredients other than peppers in a suitable salsa recipe, your double batch should still be acidic enough for canning. It's vital to accurately double the acidic ingredients without overdoing the non-acidic ingredients. If you're not sure about your accuracy, just freeze the leftovers.
- Thaw your salsa in the refrigerator. When the time comes to thaw your salsa, the fridge is your best option. Slowly thawing it in the refrigerator will help prevent it from becoming too watery. Most likely, it will still have a little more water content that you want, but you can just strain it to remove excess liquid.[14]
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