When choosing Asian pears, use your sense of smell to detect a sweet aroma and look for a hard texture and yellow to green color. Avoid bruised or damaged fruit and store in a cool, dry place.
When choosing a quality Asian pear, the sense of smell is heavily used. Asian pears should release a strong, sweet scent on inhalation, although the fruit’s odor will be weaker if kept cold. The firmness of the pear should be quite hard, and the optimal pear color will range from yellow to green depending on the specific Asian pear variety.
Although Asian pears are very firm, they should not be handled roughly during picking as they are susceptible to bruising easily. Bringing the pear to your face and deeply inhaling its aroma is the best way to ascertain whether it is a good fruit or not. Pears that release little or no odor will exhibit inferior flavor qualities and shouldn’t be purchased, while those that provide immediate, vivid sweetness will likely produce the tastiest results.
There are over 25 varieties of this juicy fruit, so judging the differences in coloration between them can be tricky. Some Asian pear varieties, such as the russet types, should have a very golden dark brown color. If your Asian pears are of a smooth, round variety, yellow is the optimal color to choose, while narrower smooth fruits should be a light green shade.
Asian pears are supposed to exhibit an apple shape, giving them the alternate name, apple pear. If the term apple pear is used to label the fruit, the produce should be of good quality as long as it meets the other odor and color qualifications. Depending on the variety sought, each flavor will also differ, from sweet and juicy notes to citrus flavours.
Seasonality can also affect the quality of the Asian pear. These pears are considered in season during the summer and fall months. Pears that have not been stored in a cool, dry place may also be of lower quality, as Asian pears require refrigeration before being sold to ensure the best quality. To fully ripen pears, they can be stored in a very dry, cool container, such as a brown grocery bag. Once purchased, fruit can also be stored at room temperature or continuously refrigerated for up to three months before serving.
As with any other fruit, Asian pears with broken skin or missing pieces should not be purchased. These can be contaminated and will likely worsen during the curing process if used. An Asian pear that is already softened or wrinkled should be avoided.
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