Any that have a very thick skin, are too soft, or seem to be hollow between the skin and the flesh are of inferior quality. Look for fruit that feels heavy, firm, with shiny smooth skin, and with slightly flattened ends. Reddish or other marks on the skin are superficial and will not affect quality, though pink marks are often indicators of juiciness and better flavor. There are several seedless varieties, though you may still come across a few: "seedless" applies to any fruit having fewer than five seeds.

Unlike most fruit, grapefruit is always picked when fully ripe. Thanks to its thick skin it will keep a long time in a cool place (1 week) or in the refrigerator crisper (6 to 8 weeks)

Always take a grapefruit out of the fridge an hour before eating or juicing it to heighten its flavour and make it juicier

Goes well with poultry and seafood; a magnificent accompaniment to foie gras, either in terrine or sautéed

Suggestions

Granita - 50 g pommelo flesh, 250 g sugar, 125 ml water, 2 tbsp. white vermouth
Grilled - remove the membrane and seeds; sprinkle generously with brown sugar and place on the grill for a few minutes
Sauté some grapefruit supremes (the flesh removed from the membranes) in butter; season with pepper - to accompany veal fillet with port sauce

Low-cal salads!
Shellfish salad with grapefruit dressing - your choice of shrimp, scallops, lobster or crayfish; steam and let cool; vinaigrette of 1 part grapefruit juice, 2 parts olive oil, sea salt, ground green peppercorns, dill; arrange on Boston lettuce or lamb's lettuce adorned with diced grapefruit

Grapefruit and sesame seed vinaigrette for cold chicken, greens or a fruit plate - blend honey, grapefruit juice, oil, sesame oil and dry-roasted sesame seeds

Spinach and grapefruit salad - with bacon, croutons, and a dressing of oil, grapefruit juice, honey and pinenuts

Korea - to make your morning grapefruit more festive, insert some slivers of ginger preserved in syrup between the segments.