How to Choose a Perfectly Ripe Peach.
Who doesn’t enjoy peaches in pies, crisps, cobblers, and stone fruit salads? We have one condition: the peaches must be delicate, sweet, and juicy. Nothing is worse than attempting to cut into a rock-hard peach and hearing a loud, painful cracking sound when the flesh is ripped from the pit. Cover your drippy chin and hands completely, or don’t bother.
What is the greatest technique to choose a perfectly ripe peach? Here are a few simple tips.
What to Look For
Color comes first. The best peaches should have bright yellow meat and golden-reddish peel. Look towards the stem: a lighter yellow tone indicates a less ripe peach.Brighter golden tones indicate ripeness. Avoid fruits with green stains, bruising, dents, or flat surfaces. Also, avoid peaches with wrinkled skin, as they were most likely cooled after harvest and have dried out.
What to Smell?
The aroma of a peach is strongly tied to its taste. If you take a whiff and don’t smell anything, it will most likely taste nothing. This isn’t always the case (depending on the variety), but stone fruits from the farmer’s market should have a noticeable aroma.
What to Feel?
A slight touch of a peach will reveal a lot. Squeeze on the side or at the stem: If the fruit is slightly soft (it should give when pressed), it is ripe. Firmness is an indication.Your fruit is not fully ripe. Because you’ll probably want to eat your peaches over a few days, buy a variety of ripeness levels.
Plan ahead.
Think about when you want to eat your peaches. If you’re baking a pie for a picnic today, go for peak ripeness; if you want to grill them three days later, look for a few that are firmer and lighter in color.
Store Smarter.
Store peaches at room temperature. To avoid bruising, keep them stem side down in a single layer. If they become overripe, store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
