How to ripen pears and speed up the process (if you must)
As ubiquitous as they are come fall, pears remain a bit of an enigma. Why are they so hard when you buy them? Why do they seemingly take forever to ripen? Why do they finally ripen exactly when you can’t manage to eat them all?
Fun fact, which explains a lot: Pears are one of the few types of fruit that don’t ripen on the tree, according to USA Pears, a website run by a group representing growers in the Northwest. (Asian pears, however, do ripen on the tree.) Selling them firm, before they have a chance to ripen, reduces the likelihood of damage before they make it into your home.
In “Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit,” author Abra Berens recalls a good-natured dispute with her mentor over whether a perfectly ripe peach or pear is better. Berens was firmly team peach, countering that while a perfectly ripe pear may be better, “the fact remains, I’ve yet to ever taste a perfectly ripe pear. Unicorns are the most magnificent creatures ever to behold, but much like a perfectly ripe pear, they also don’t seem to exist.” (Of course, her foe “took the time to baby two pears all the way to perfect ripeness.” Spoiler: Berens still preferred a peach.)
If you feel the same way, know that with a little time and know-how, you can achieve if not pear perfection, then at least pear bliss.
What makes pears ripen?
As with many other fruits, pears ripen in the presence of ethylene, a plant hormone. Pears produce ethylene and also respond to the presence of ethylene by making more of it. Excessive exposure to ethylene can take you past peak ripeness, though, and straight on the path to spoilage.
How to ripen pears (the slow way)
Wait! Seriously, that’s all. Let the pears sit at room temperature and let time do its thing.
How to ripen pears (the fast way)
Here’s where you can take advantage of pears’ sensitivity to ethylene. USA Pears suggests placing them near other ethylene-producing fruit, such as bananas, to speed ripening. Another option, Berens says, is to place the pears in a paper bag to trap their own ethylene.
How do you know when a pear is ripe?
“A ripe pear gives very slightly round the stem, but should be in no way squashy” is the verdict from “Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book.”
But how to ensure your pear is ripe? Give it the old squeeze test, applying gentle pressure to the neck with your thumb. The pear is ready if it yields there; firm Boscs and Concordes won’t give quite as much as other types. USA Pears notes that pears ripen from the inside out, and the neck is closest to the center. If you checked only the fatter part of the pear, by the time it was soft, the inside would be overripe. If you have Bartletts with green skin, they will lighten to yellow as they ripen.
Use your nose, too. “Pears don’t generally have a strong aroma, but the riper the pear, the more fragrant it will be,” Berens writes.
How should you store ripe pears?
“There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat,” goes a famous Ralph Waldo Emerson quote Berens shares in her book. While ol’ Ralph has something of a point, thankfully he’s not completely right. Once your pears have ripened at room temperature, store them in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep well for at least a week. Refrigeration will slow, but not completely halt, ripening. Just don’t refrigerate an unripe pear, USA Pears says, as it may never ripen.