Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun.
Today: You don't have to wait any longer -- here's how to speed up your fruit's ripening.
Think on this: all of the lush fruits and vegetables that fill our markets and our plates, with an almost-infinite range of flavors and textures and varieties, all come from tiny, singular seeds.
The science behind these seeds -- how they grow, reproduce, and turn from specks-in-dirt into food -- is magic. The sweet, juicy plum you eat is the result of a long, complicated chain of scientific events that ends in nothing but pure, simple pleasure.
And when you pick the perfectly ripe specimen, good for you. But not all of us are that lucky. Some of us come home with hard peaches, or rigid avocados that simply aren't ready for mashing. What then?
There are ways for us to play God, as it were, in the lifecycle of a fruit. We can speed up the ripening of some of our produce. But first, some science, thanks to Jeffrey Steingarten's lovely Ripeness is All:
Some fruits will never ripen after being picked. This sad fact applies to most citrus, most berries, grapes, pineapple, and watermelon. All you can ask of these is that they be fully mature when they're picked. Sorry.
Some fruit ripens off of the vine, but only in that it gets softer, more colorful, and more juicy -- not sweeter. This includes blueberries, figs, most stone fruit, and melons (not of the water variety). But we'll take soft figs over not soft figs any day.
Then there are the fruits that actually do what you want them to: they get sweeter once you take them home. Yet another reason to love apples, pears, mangoes, and kiwis. Avocadoes are special here because they only ripen off the vine. Way to go, avocado.
Whether you're sweetening or just softening, the key to ripening your fruit at home is to harness naturally-occurring ethylene, a gas given off by fruit that aids in ripening. To do this, all you need is a paper bag, and maybe a few extra pieces of fruit if you're extra anxious to bite into your hard plums.
The classic paper bag trick is the simplest way to soften your fruit: place whatever you have in a paper bag, seal it as best you can, and wait. Check on the bag's contents after a few days.
To speed things up, you can also add an apple or a banana to your paper bag. These fruits -- bananas especially -- give off more ethylene than others, which will help ripen (or at least soften) any late bloomers lingering nearby.
If you don't have any paper bags handy, don't fear -- you, too, can have softer fruit, faster. Rice traps ethylene effectively -- in Indian households, mangoes are often submerged in a container of rice to speed up their ripening.
And then there are peaches. With their delicate skin and soft fuzz and all-consuming fragrance, peaches deserve their own ripening method. One that looks like a Cézanne painting.
Here's how you do it: Lay down a clean linen napkin or cotton tea towel. (Looking for a good one? We know a guy.) You want something breathable, but stay away from terrycloth as it will trap in moisture. Place your peaches stem-side down, making sure they don't touch. Cover with a second napkin or tea towel, and wait a few days. You'll know your peaches are ripe when they have a strong, fragrant scent and their stem sides have flattened a bit from the weight of the whole fruit.
Now take a bite, and let the juice run down your face, and smile. And then go forth and make yourself some pie with the others.
Food52 is a community for people who love food and cooking. Follow them at Food52.com -- and check out their new kitchen and home shop, Provisions, to get $10 off!
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.