4 days Ago By Claire Schofield
Apples, oranges and bananas may be the go-to fruits for many UK households, but if you enjoy branching out into more unusual flavours then peaches are an excellent choice. Sweet, delicious and healthy, they’re great for a quick snack or blended up into a fresh fruit smoothie . But the frustrating thing about buying fruit is you often have to wait several days before you can actually eat it, as it’s often not ripe when you buy it in the supermarket.
You can tell when a peach is ripe when it feels slightly soft to the touch, if it smells sweet and has a dark yellow colour, particularly in areas that haven’t been directly exposed to the sun. If it doesn’t have any of these features then it’s probably not quite ready to eat yet. But if you aren’t willing to wait a few days for the fruit to ripen, there is a simple storage method that can speed up the ripening process so the fruit is ready in just 24 hours.
According to food experts, it’s possible to ripen peaches in just a day by placing it inside a brown paper bag and leaving it out at room temperature. Peaches release ethylene gas (a natural hormone that fruits produce to ripen) which can accelerate the ripening process. So by placing peaches in a paper bag, this helps to trap the ethylene gas that’s emitted to promote faster ripening.
To enhance the ripening further, it’s recommended that you add an apple or banana to the bag as well, as these fruits also release the gas, and by concentrating this into a small space, it can make peaches turn soft much quicker. Home advice website Real Simple explains: “To quickly ripen peaches and use them the same day, try the famous paper bag trick. Fruit typically ripens faster in a paper bag due to the ethylene gas it emits, which gets trapped.
“Pop a few peaches in a paper bag solo or with an apple or banana, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly they'll be ready to eat. With the paper bag method, you can expect ripe peaches within a few hours or a day (depending on how firm the peaches were to begin with).” Food website Allrecipes adds: “Set a paper bag on its side and arrange peaches in a single layer in the bag, stem-side down, so they're resting on their "shoulders.
" Make sure the sides of the peaches are not touching each other. Use a couple of bags if you have to. “Fold the top of the bag closed and let it sit undisturbed at room temperature.
After 24 hours, check peaches for colour and aroma. For yellow peaches, you're looking for a warm yellow undertone with little or no green around the stem end. For white peaches, look for a creamy undertone.
They should smell distinctly peachy.”.
