How To Ripen A Pear With Quick and Easy Steps

Having an idea of what a ripened pear is like helps you to pick the right one. There are some ways to check the ripeness of a pear. Those ways are by checking its neck, smelling the fruit, touching the fruit, and so on. 

If you happen to be a first-timer going to the grocery store to pick ripe pears, this information is going to be very helpful. Let's look at some of the ways to tell if a pear is ripe: 

Texture

The first thing to check for a ripe pear is its texture. The texture is tested by touching the fruit. Usually, a ripe pear has a slightly softer texture or feels softer when touched. 

The neck test

You can't miss out on testing the neck of a pear. It literally is all in one way to tell if a pear is ripe or not. You just need to pick a pear and slightly press its neck with your fingers. A ripe pear is slightly pushed in when pressed. If the pear you're picking feels firm then it has not ripened yet. 

Whereas, too soft or mushy pears indicate an overripe one. So, it is best to avoid such pears. 

Smell

Ripe fruits have a fruity and sweet smell that can be smelled from a distance. The same thing applies in the case of pear. A ripe pear has a sweet aromatic fragrance that you just can't resist. 

To closely test the smell, bring a ripe pear close to your nose and inhale the smell. If you don't smell anything or smell something vinegary then it has not ripen yet. 

Color

See, pears have a variety of options. Some pears change into yellow from green, whereas some stay green with some yellowish color when they ripe. So, don't solely consider the color of a pear while looking for a ripe one. This can be tricky. It is best to rely on other factors like touch, neck, and smell for accuracy. 

Weight

Weight also helps to know if a pear is ripened or not. Generally, a ripe pear weighs more than that of the raw one. This happens due to the formation of juices and soft flesh in ripe pears. While picking, compare two pears in two hands and feel the difference.

During the seasonal time, pears are easily available in all grocery stores. Whenever you pass through these fruits, the fruity and sweet smells captivate you and call for buying. The aromatic smells win over your mind and you pick some of them from a store. 

You get back home only to realize that the pears are not fully ripe. The excitement to eat this fruit is all gone. But there is no need to feel frustrated because there are some ways to ripen pears easily and quickly at home.

Simply place pears in a paper bag with a banana or an apple, leave them at room temperature, or burry under the raw rice to nicely ripen this fruit. Just have patience for 3-6 days until the pears ripen fully. Then, you will be able to enjoy this sweet fruit. 

Did you mistakenly buy underripe pears? Rest assured, we have discussed 3 easy home-based methods to quickly ripen the raw pears in a few days. Go through all the methods and pick one based on your convenience.

Underripe pears quickly ripen with the paper bag method. This method is a super easy and fast way to ripen pears. Let's know this method in detail:

1. Prepare a paper bag

The first thing you need to do is to get a paper bag. Ensure the paper bag is spacious enough to arrange underripe pears. If not, then look for bags that are a bit bigger or use more than 1 bag to adjust the fruit. 

Also, it is important to look for a bag free from holes or tears to prevent the ethylene gas from escaping. If it happens, pears won't ripe within the stipulated days. 

One more thing, don't use plastic bags to ripen pears if possible. The reason is plastic bags don't allow moisture to escape. This results in more humidity and lead to the formation of mold in the fruits.

Even if you have to use plastic bags, create tiny holes in plastic using a pin or a needle. Avoid poking bigger holes as this generates a way for ethylene gas to run off. 

2. Pick an ethylene-producing fruit

Fruits like apples or bananas are a good source of ethylene gas. So, pick a banana or apple whichever you have at home but make sure the fruit is ripened fully. Only properly ripened bananas or apples are filled with ethylene gas. 

When a ripe banana or apple is placed with underripe pears in a paper bag, it releases a gas called ethylene. This gas helps to ripen underripe pears quickly. 

3. Prepare the pears

Unpack pears from their original bag and place them in a bowl. To remove any dirt or grit, wash the pears with water. Then, dry out the pears using a paper towel because placing wet pears to ripen leads to the formation of molds or bacteria due to moisture. 

3. Place pears in the bag and close it

Once pears are prepared, arrange them inside the paper bag. While putting pears in the bag, ensure to place them in a way that they're not overcrowded. Maintain some space among the pears as it helps to ripen the fruit evenly. 

Now, put a ripe apple or banana in the bag. The ethylene gas produced by an apple or a banana facilitates the quick ripening of the pears.

When you're done adding fruits, fold the top of the paper bag a few times. To secure the folded layers of the paper bag, tie it with a rubber band or use a stapler to stitch it. 

5. Store and inspect the pears

It is time to look for a proper place to store the bag. The place should be away from direct sunlight or any kind of heat. This disbalances the ideal environment for fruit inside the bag. 

Once you find the ideal place, keep the bag in that place. After a day, check the condition of the pears by gently pressing them. If the fruit feels slightly softer than the day you bought it, it has started to ripen. 

Keep checking the fruit daily especially test the softness in the neck. The day you feel the fruity sweet smell and softness in the neck of a pear, know the fruit has ripened fully. Besides the smell and texture, most pears turn into yellowish color when they are ripened nicely. 

6. Remove the pears and enjoy

Once you find that the pears have ripened fully, remove them from the paper bag. Place the fruit in a bowl and wash it off with water before eating. A ripe pear can be eaten as it is by cutting it into pieces or you can turn the fruit into a delicious dessert. 

The room temprature method is a natural way of ripening pears. This technique doesn't require any tools or pairing of any mature fruits. Unlike the paper bag method, it takes a bit more days to ready the pears for consumption. So, if you can wait some days to eat ripe pears, this method is ideal. 

Let's explore how you can ripen pears at home easily: 

1. Prepare the pears

Begin the process by unpacking raw pears and put them in a bowl. Rinse with cold water to wash away any dirt on the fruit. After rinsing, use a paper towel to dry out the fruit or leave the fruit to dry out automatically. 

2. Ready the fruit basket

After cleaning the pears, move towards preparing a bowl or fruit basket. You can use any dishes or container that is accessible to you but make sure the material is not too deep. A deep container may lead to spoilage of pears due to moisture retained in the bottom. 

3. Place the pears in the basket

After the container is ready, put the pears in it. While placing the pears, ensure not to add too much of it in the container. Overcrowding of the pears only leads to uneven ripening of it. So, arrange the fruit in such a manner that allows some space among the pears. 

4. Choose the right location

Now it's time to choose an appropriate location to place the basket filled with pears. While doing this, look for a place away from the direct sunlight. Usually, the ideal place to keep the fruits is either on the kitchen tables or the dining one. The temperature should be around 70°F (21°C) for pears to ripe evenly. 

5. Check the progress

Regular checking is important to ensure the fruit is not overripe. You can check the texture by simply pressing your thumb on the neck of the pears. If the pears are soft and also smell sweet, then you can say the fruit is ready for eating. Otherwise, keep monitoring them until ripen.

This process may take around 4-7 days. Whereas, if your pears are partially ripe, then days reduce to 2-3 days. 

6. Enjoy

Once the pears are ripened evenly, separate them from the basket and rinse thoroughly with water before eating. To retain the freshness and quality of pears, store them in the fridge. This way you can enjoy the fruit any time you want. 

Ripenening any fruit by burring under the rice is a traditional method. This method doesn't demand much effort and can be done in a few steps. The temperature under the rice plays a vital role in softening the pears quickly. Let's look at its steps: 

• First, select underripe pears and proceed to rinse them properly with normal water. 
• Once the cleaning is done, absorb the remaining water droplets on the pears using a paper towel. 
• Get a container that has a good length or deep bottom. Fill the bottom of the container with some raw rice. 
• Move to put underripe pears in that container one by one. Arrange the pears in a way that allows some space among them.
• After placing all the pears in the container, pour raw grains of rice into that container. Keep adding rice until the pears are fully covered.
• Make sure no pears are easily visible from the top and rice should be at least 1 or 2 inches up from the pears. This helps to trap the ethylene gas which is produced by pears during the ripening process. This results in ending the ripening process quickly. 
• Now, cover the container with a cloth or plastic wrapper. This keeps the ethylene gas inside the container and helps in maturing pears evenly. 
• Once you are done covering the container, place it in a place that is cold such as a storeroom or cupboard. It is advised not to keep the container in heated places where sunlight directly sets in.
• Leave the container to sit there for a few days. In between those days, check the pears if they have gotten softer. To do this, take out a pear and press on its neck part with your thumb. When it smells fruity, changes into a yellowish color and the texture feels soft, know that the fruit has matured. 
• If the pear still has firmness, put it back into the container and cover it. Continue to keep examining the ripeness every other day. This prevents overripening of the pears. 
• Once the pears are fully ripened, take them out of the container and place them in a bowl. Now, the pears are all ready to be eaten. Enjoy the sweet fruit as you like. 

The exact time to ripen pears depends greatly on their firmness. Pears usually get ready to eat in 4-7 days at room temperature. Whereas, rice burial techniques take 3-4 days to ripen pears. On the other hand, paper bag method ripens pears in 2-3 days. 

However, if the pears are partially ripe then the days to ripen shorten by 1-2 days. Before you decide to mature the fruit, check its condition. This will help you to estimate the required days to ripen the pears. 

There's nothing wrong with eating underripe pears. But the main thing is you may not like its raw taste. Unlike the ripe one, the underripe one normally is less sweet, crunchy, and sour. Some people may experience digestion-related issues after consumption. 

On the other hand, overripe pears are too soft. The sweet taste starts to become slightly sour. So, these won't taste as good as the perfectly ripe ones. There could be the formation of bacteria in the overripe pears and this may again lead to food poisoning or digestion issues in case of weak immune power. 

So, the answer depends on you and digestion-related issues which vary according to your immune power.

Ripe pears can be eaten as it is. But if you're looking for some ideas to transform the fruit into something interesting and delicious, here you go: 

1. Pear and spinach salad

Spinach is already a healthy green plant. When it is paired with pears, the dish becomes tasty and healthy at the same time. The pear and spinach salad is filled with a good amount of essential nutrients that fuel your body as well as satisfy your hunger. 

2. Pear smoothie

Here comes the most delicious beverage you can enjoy. Just blend ripened pears along with some fruits like bananas and some berries. Make a glass of pear smoothie a part of your breakfast to make your day. Skip using sugar, as the fruit is already sweet enough. 

3. Oatmeal topping

Are you planning to eat oatmeal in your breakfast? Wait, you're missing out on something and that is stored pears in the fridge. Slice off a pear and add on top of the oatmeal as a topping. Now, a healthy bowl of breakfast is ready to keep you full and light throughout the day. 

4. Pear cake

If you're someone who enjoys eating cake made with fruits, then try making one with pears. Trust me, the cake tastes so delicious, soft, and sweet. Serve the cake as a dessert and enjoy it with your loved ones.