Now through January, expect pears to be everywhere in your grocery stores! Asian, Bosc, Red Pears and more! A ton of varieties for the choosing to add to all your delicate and delicious dishes. From poached to salads, they make a delicious and beautiful ingredient component.
Our guide below offers great tips on buying the best pears, preparing them and storing your pears to maintain ultimate freshness
BUY PEARS:
Go for firm, unblemished pears. This beyond those bartletts too! Golden Bosc pears taste like honey. Asian pears are super crispy. Anjou pears have a beautiful red skin. So many variety of pears offers so many different flavors and textures. Try them all!
STORE YOUR PEARS:
Pears are harvested early and shipped to your local grocery stores. They will ripen as they sit about with their pear partners and await your picking. We often will pick up our pears under-ripened in the store and a sure-fire way to get them to ripen quicker is to leave them on your counter next to your bananas or apples. To determine ripeness, press the top of your pear near the stem. If its slightly soft, then its ready to eat. Once soft, store your pears in the friste for 3 to 5 days
PREPARE YOUR PEARS:
Just like apples, a delicious pear can be sliced and enjoyed without anything addition. They are delicious with a squeeze of lemon (the citrus rings out the flavor) and are great poached for dessert or sliced thin as part of a peppery salad with arugula, a light vinaigrette, slivered almonds and of course shaved parmesan or feta cheese.