Autumn brings a new harvest of pears to market. This luscious fruit is somewhat overlooked, but that wasn't always the case. In England, an estimated 700 varieties of pear were grown during the 18th century. In that era, "pearmania" preoccupied New England's upper classes, and pears were more prized than apples. Perhaps it was because the melting texture of a ripe pear was more appealing than an apple's chew?
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And that is exactly where pears are misunderstood. Biting into an unripe pear, when it is hard and granular, may lead you to believe that there is no reason to seek them out. Nothing could be further from the juicy truth. Learn how to tell if a pear is ripe and how to ripen a pear if it isn't'and you'll love them for their flavor, aroma, juiciness, texture, and sheer versatility.
How to Tell if a Pear Is Ripe
The most important thing to know about pears is when they are ripe. "Pears don't ripen on the tree. They are harvested when they are mature'not ripe," says Jim Morris, marketing and communications manager of the Pear Bureau Northwest, a not-for-profit that promotes pears grown in Washington and Oregon, where most U.S. varieties are produced.
There are three ways to identify when your pears are ripe:
How to Ripen Pears
If your pears are not ripe, bide your time'and keep them out of the cold.
The Right Way
"The best way to ripen your pears is to store them at room temperature, such as in a fruit bowl on your kitchen counter," says Morris. "If you keep them near other fruits that give off ethylene, such as bananas, this will accelerate the ripening process."
The Quick Way
Another technique to ripen a pear more quickly is to store it in a paper bag with an apple or a banana. This method exposes the pear to more ethylene, and so speeds the ripening. (Don't forget you stashed the pear with a banana or you may find it has become too ripe to use.)
Where to Store Ripe Pears
Once ripe, pears should be kept in the fridge (Unripe pears should be stored at room temperature.) Refrigerating them will extend the meltingly sweet life of a pear by a couple of days.
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How to Use Pears in Recipes
It seem too obvious to mention, but we're stating it anyway: A perfect pear can easily be served alone and unadorned. You could go so far as to center it on a pretty plate, knife and fork alongside it, for graceful slicing. It makes an unapologetic and confident dessert statement (no apple could pull off this feat!). We recommend Comice or Bartlett for the standalone treatment.
Salads and Cheese Boards
Pears enhance salads and cheese platters, complementing strong flavors like blue cheese and crisp textures like endive and toasted nuts. If you are serving pears raw, be aware that the cut fruit can oxidize quickly. Gently toss pear slices in lemon juice to keep the slices from browning.
Remember that the granular texture in some pears is natural'those are their stone cells, which can be larger or smaller, depending on the pear variety (other fruit, like guavas and feijoa, have a similar texture).
Desserts
In desserts, poached pears are velvety, while baked pears take on a more chewy, caramelized edge. Baked in cakes, their moistness and texture pair deliciously with nut flours, dark chocolate, butter, and caramel.
Originally published in November ; updated September .
Growers harvest pears once they are mature, but in the pear world, maturity means the fruit is not fully ripened. If growers allowed pears to ripen on the tree, the core of the fruit would breakdown. This causes an unappetizing mushy or mealy texture when they arrive at grocery stores (and no one wants that!). Harvesting pears at the right pressures leads to fruit that will ripen to good quality. At Stemilt, we do just that and cool them immediately after harvest in order to deliver premium pears to your stores.
The most common question we get is 'how do you ripen pears?' or 'how do you know when a pear is ripe?' Indeed, ripening a pear can be tricky due to the fact that most pears do not change color as they ripen, and pears are typically close to ' but not quite ripe ' when you purchase them at the store.
If the pears you brought home from the store are still a little hard and not quite ripe, you can try softening them in a bag at room temperature. Cold temperatures slow down the ripening process, so storing ripe pears in the refrigerator is the best way to maintain quality.
Like bananas and avocados, pears naturally release ethylene gas (a ripening hormone) as they ripen. Placing the pears in a brown paper bag keeps ethylene close to the fruit and speeds up ripening. Any bag would work, but paper is preferred over plastic as it allows the fruit to breathe.
Another way to ripen pears is to place them next to fruits like bananas, avocados, or apples (perhaps in a fruit bowl). These fruits also give off ethylene gas, and the extra exposure to ethylene induces ripening in pears.
To really speed up the pear ripening process, combine two ethylene producing fruits (such as bananas + pears) in a paper bag and leave the bag at room temperature. Don't forget to check the pears often for ripeness if you use this
method.
Regardless of your preferred method, you'll need to know how to tell if a pear is ready to eat. Some pears, like the Bartlett variety, change color as they ripen (Bartlett goes from green to yellow), but many other pears, including d'Anjou, do not.
To determine ripeness, hold the pear in the palm of your hand. Then, gently apply pressure into the neck of the pear with your thumb. Once the skin of the pear gives to that pressure (even slightly), it is ripe and ready to eat.
There is definitely a fine line when it comes to pear ripening (they can quickly go from underripe to overripe), and so it's important to check the neck for ripeness daily, especially when you are following a method that speeds up ripening. Most pears should be ready to eat within a few days after purchase. Be sure to place ripe pears that you are not using in the refrigerator to maximize freshness.
Share with us! What is your preferred method for ripening pears? Is it different from the two methods described above?
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