Lychees

Choose fruit with firm, intact skins that are pink to red; a little browning is normal, but avoid soft, leaking or mouldy ones. Lychees do not ripen after picking, so a green, hard fruit is unlikely to become sweeter at home.

Pierce the brittle skin with your thumb or a small knife, then peel it away and pull the translucent flesh from the large, smooth stone. The skin and stone are discarded; the flesh is ready to eat or add to a dish.

Keep them unpeeled in a breathable bag in the fridge and eat them within about a week; their skins gradually turn brown as they dry out. For longer storage, peel and stone them, then freeze the flesh in a single layer before transferring it to a sealed container.

Yes: add peeled, stoned lychees to fruit salad, or briefly warm them in a syrup for a dessert topping. They are also used in lychee sorbet and blended into drinks; add the flesh near the end of cooking so it keeps its shape.

For a similar juicy sweetness in fruit salad or a dessert, use peeled rambutan or canned lychee pulp. Peaches work in cooked dishes, though they are less floral and have a firmer texture.

No. They are related tropical fruits, but rambutan has a hairy red or yellow skin, while lychee has a rough, brittle skin; both have translucent flesh around a single stone.

No. Remove and discard the stone rather than biting or blending it into food; eat only the peeled flesh.

Whole lychees and their stones can pose a choking risk. Remove the skin and stone, then cut the slippery flesh into small pieces and supervise young children while they eat.