Choosing mangos in supermarkets can often be difficult. You don’t want one that’s too soft or overripe, but you also don’t want it to be rock hard and have to wait days to enjoy it. Luckily, one Instagram user has shared a simple method that shoppers are calling “life-changing”.

Food creator Grace, who posts under the handle @haohungry, uploaded a video titled “Mango 101” in which she explained exactly how to pick the perfect fruit. “When you’re shopping for mangos, this is what you’re going to look for,” she said.

“Most of the time, you’re going to see the common mango. What you’re going to do is you’re going to look for the stem and you’re going to smell it.”

She continued: “If it smells super sweet and floral, it smells like a good mango – I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Grace then revealed the rule of thirds, which has impressed thousands of viewers: “You look for a third red, a third yellow and then a third green. That is a good mango to look for.”

She added: “You can also tell it’s ripe when it’s soft. That’s how you know. Then you kind of squeeze it a little. If it goes in, that’s when it’s ready for peeling.”

In the video, she compares different mangos side-by-side, using the rule to select the best few, and demonstrates how easy it is to tell which is ready to eat.

The post has received thousands of likes and comments, with many users saying they couldn’t believe how well the trick worked.

“This is literally the greatest tip,” one person wrote. “You shared it once before and it changed my life with mangoes.”

Others, particularly those in Europe, were slightly less impressed, not because of the method, but the lack of choice in shops.

“We only get green mangos in Europe,” one viewer commented.

Still, for those lucky enough to have access to a good selection, the tip could be the key to sweet, juicy mangos every time.