How Long Do Pears Last and How to Tell if They’re Bad?
You bought a bunch of pears, and you’re not sure how long you can store them until they start to spoil. How long do pears last?
Or maybe you’re not quite sure if you should put the pears you’ve purchased in the fridge or leave them out in a fruit bowl.
If either sounds familiar, this article is for you. In it, we cover:
- how many days you can store pears (hint: it depends on whether they’re ripe or not)
- how to speed up ripening unripe pears
- choosing pears in the grocery store based on whether you want to eat them right away or store for a week or even more
Interested? Read on.
The information below works for all types of pears, including Bartlett, Anjou, Bosc, and more. It’s okay if you don’t have the slightest idea which one you have on hand.
Let’s begin by covering the signs of ripeness. You need to know if your pear is ripe or not to tell how long it’ll last and how you should store it.
How do you tell if a pear is ripe?
You apply gentle pressure to the neck of the pear (the stem end) with your thumb. If it gives a little, it’s ready. If it yields a lot, it might be overripe.
This method works because pears ripen from the inside out – if the neck is ready, the rest is too.
Most pear varieties don’t change much in terms of color while ripening, so don’t bother looking for that.
Knowing all of that, picking pears in the supermarket or grocery store should be simple.
If you’re looking for one to eat tomorrow (or right after you check out), go for a ripe one. But if you need a couple to eat throughout the next week, find ones that are firm or only give in a tiny bit.
How Long Do Pears Last?
| Counter | Fridge | |
|---|---|---|
| Pear (unripe) | 1 – 7 days, until ripe | |
| Pear (ripe) | 2 – 4 days | 5 – 10 days |
| Pear (cut up) | 3 – 4 days |
Unripe pears typically need 2 days to a week to ripen on the counter. Once ripe, pears last for about 2 to 4 days at room temperature and 5 to 10 days in the fridge. Cut pears keep for 3 to 4 days sealed tight in the fridge.
The most important thing to remember is that pears are harvested mature but not yet ripe. And they need some time at room temperature to get ready for eating.
Eating an unripe pear isn’t unsafe by any means. The only issue is that your experience may be, well, underwhelming.
How To Tell If a Pear Is Bad?
Discard pears that:
- Are super soft, shriveled, or oozing water. At this point, the fruit has lost most of its water, and it’s no good. You can cut away any small soft areas, though.
- Have large brown, rotten, or moldy spots. Feel free to cut off any small ones, though.
- Are cut up and refrigerated for more than 5 days. Sure, these can still be okay to eat, but doing so is quite risky. Better safe than sorry.
As usual, going with your gut is the best solution here.
If that pear is on the older side but still looks delicious, go for it. But if you’re not entirely certain the fruit is any good, get rid of it.
How To Store Pears
Main article: How to store pears?
Leave unripe pears at room temperature to let them ripen. Once ripe, store pears in the refrigerator where they keep quality the longest. If you know you’re going to eat that ripe pear in a couple of days, leaving it on the counter is a-okay.
As I mentioned earlier, the ripening process can take anywhere between two days and a week, or even longer if it’s a super firm pear or it’s relatively cool where your store it. Fortunately, there’s a way to accelerate this process.
To ripen your pears faster, you can:
- place them in a fruit bowl next to other ripening fruit (e.g., bananas or apples)
- put them in a brown bag that will help trap some of the ethylene gas (which is responsible for the ripening of fruits and veggies)
- combine both
Check unripe pears every day or two, and move any ripe ones to the fridge.
When it comes to storing cut-up pears (peeled or not), all you need is an airtight container or a freezer bag. Place the fruit pieces in either, seal it tightly, and chuck it into the fridge. They should stay safe there for 3 to 5 days.
If you need more time, you can freeze pears.
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