Know the ripening temperature
Pears ripen best between 65 - 75F. Usually, Bartlett Pears ripen in 4-5 days and Bosc and Comice Pears need 5-7 days to reach peak ripeness. The best way to check the ripeness is through the Thumb Test. Check the neck of your pear daily for ripeness by applying gentle pressure to the stem-end or neck of the pear with your thumb. If the pear yields to pressure, it is ready to eat.
Never waste a pear
Overripe pears can still be used in the kitchen. It can also taste better with the help of a few pear recipes. Just peel and chop your overripe pears and you have the perfect set of pears for your pie or cake recipe. You can even make a smoothie, or chop and freeze it in the refrigerator.
Store in cold place
Unlike other tree-borne fruits, pears ripen after being picked up and not while they are on the tree. The ripening stage is very narrow which leaves little room for error as they can spoil within a matter of hours. They are best stored in a cool, dry place.
Put them in a paper bag
Grab a paper bag and put all the pears in. Set it on the counter for about 2-4 days and let it ripen. The pears will release a natural gas that will accumulate inside the bag and speed up the ripening process. However, be sure to check on the pears everyday to avoid spoilage. Also, never use plastic bags because they don’t breathe – this will cause the pears to go bad.
Get the timing right
Different pears ripen at different speeds. Comice or Bosc Pears should be chilled for 2 to 6 weeks and Bartlett Pears should be chilled at 30F for 2 to 3 days. Remove any spoiled fruit during the chilling process as one spoiled pear can turn the whole batch bad.
The banana trick
If you want to hasten the ripeness of your pears, place them with bananas. Store the pears in a paper bag or an enclosed area with a ripe apple or banana. Bananas and ripe apples give off a gas called ethylene that triggers the ripening process in unripe pears.
Put your pears together
Ripe pears give off ethylene gas, so store them all together in a sack or bucket. This will encourage the rest of the pears to ripen fats. As each fruit starts to ripen, it triggers the rest of the batch.
