HOW TO CHOOSE OR SELECT DURIAN FRUIT

The durian is a seasonal fruit, not like various non-seasonal tropical fruits such as the papaya, which are available anytime. In Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, the season for durians is generally from June to August, which coincides with that of the mangosteen. Prices of durians are relatively expensive as compared with other fruits. In-season durians can be found in mainstream Japanese supermarkets while, in the West, they are sold mainly by Asian markets.

Here are some general tips for choosing fresh durian fruit :

Warnings!
Durians are lovable and sweet in the inside but not from the outside. Durians are the most dangerous fruit with an average weight of 1.5 kg and its long sharp thorns, it is deadly to your feet so when make sure the stem that you are holding is a firm one and just in case the durian might happen fall please remember stand with feet apart (away from the trajectory path of a falling durian)
Besides some of the durian thorns are extremely sharp (OK, this warning is for women who have delicate hands) they sometime can leave prick marks on the epidermal layer of your palm. So if you are concious about the smoothness of your hands, remember to use a cloth to hold it.

4 Steps to Choose a Durian
The proven steps described below are technique on how to pick a good one out from average ones. They follow an orderly manner from Step 1 right to the last step.

Step 1 – Observation

Hold the durian in front of you and try and look for defect on the durian skin such as black rotten patches and 1cm wide bore-hole done by some insect or worm. Be vigilant especially when looking for the worm hole as they are hard to find. If there are dead leaves and debris covering covering the durian skin, please request the merchant to remove them with their special brush.
Defects such as broken stem and damaged thorns are minor, but if the stem is still attached you can tell from it how fresh the durian is. The rule of thumb is that very very dry stem show that the durian has been kept for alot of days or has been under the sun for quite sometime. Furthermore durian with open bottoms should sometimes be rejected as they are unhygene, but if you aren’t that hygene conscious a generous discount is a fair exchange. But reject at all means when insect and other foreign objects have entered through the cavity.
Note: There is a saying that durians eaten by squirrel (though not completely. If it were so, there won’t be anything left) are known to be very delicious because squirrel are like us, they also know how to choose! A generous discount would be a fair exchange in this case. But don’t be surprise by the squirrel’s unparalleled taste-buds.

Step 2 – Shake the fruit

Hold the durian tight in both hands and put it near your ears and give it a slight shake. Try to hear for the sound produced and also try to feel for the slight movement in side the fruit. If there is alot of rocking sound like marble balls rolling inside, it is a sign that either the fruit had attacked by some worms (where all the flesh had been devolved by the worm) or the fruit is naturally fleshless. However if there are only some slight movements and hardly any sound it means that the durian is fleshy and ripe enough to be eaten.

Step 3 – Smell the fruit

This time hold the fruit close to your nose and smell. Besides if there are other dead leaves and debris covering the shell, request that the durian be brush clean before trying again. Furthermore try to sniff at different parts of the fruit except for the stem to get the overall aroma of the whole fruit. But if you smell something savor and rotten reject it immediately as the durian is rotten. In contrast if you smell a faint aroma of smoked oak and bitter sweet honey butter. It indicates that you have found the right one. Before buying it please proceed to step 4.

Step 4 – Have a peek at your findings

It is always advisable to request the merchant to open up a small gape at the bottom of the fruit for your inspection. Because our eyes are hard to deceive unlike our other sensors. However if you won’t be eating the fruit until next day it is not advisable to open at the bottom as the aroma might run away. Thus the best way is to just make a small opening at the side of the fruit but big enough for you to peek in and even have a feel of it. If everything is fine by now, I am quite confident to say that you have found yourself a thick and creamy, bitter sweet tasting durian and I hope you enjoy it. However, it is advisable to have the merchant guarantee the fruit if he is willing to do so, just in case some dissappointmet might occur. Well you have successfully in completing this small lesson, I wish you fun and excitememt in choosing your own durian and also pleasant eating it!

Information from : http://yeapdurians.tripod.com/Choose.htm

Go with the durian fruit professional to choose fresh durians in the market