red grapes
Sweet, red-skinned table grapes, eaten fresh as a snack or used in salads and as a garnish for their juicy crunch and color. Sweetness varies more by variety and season than in most fruit, so tasting one before use is worthwhile.
Buying guidance
Choose bunches with plump, unwrinkled grapes firmly attached to green, not brown or dry, stems -- a bunch shedding grapes easily or with browning stems is past its best. A light, powdery white coating on the skin, called bloom, is natural and a sign of freshness rather than dirt.
Substitutions
- Green grapes -- same crunch and juiciness, slightly different sweetness, no red color.
- Halved cherry tomatoes -- similar size and glossy appearance for garnish only, entirely different flavor.
- Dried cranberries or raisins -- chewy rather than juicy, but a substitute where grapes provide sweetness in a salad.
Tips & common mistakes
Grapes don't continue to ripen once picked, so a sour or underwhelming bunch won't sweeten by sitting on the counter -- taste one from the bunch, and if it's not sweet enough, waiting won't help, unlike some other fruits that do keep ripening after purchase.
Storage
Wash grapes only right before eating, not before refrigerating a whole bunch -- excess moisture on the skins speeds mold, especially near the stem. Grapes also freeze very well as a snack and can be used frozen in place of ice cubes in a cold drink, since they don't water it down as they melt.