pears- do they have to be really ripe before you cook them?

[alibo]

Have just run out of pear for ds to have with his baby rice! Bought some today, but do they need to be very ripe if you are cooking them anyway?

Surely if you're cooking them they don't have to be ripe (or am I being dim?). Might take a bit longer & need a bit more water though. Apparently hard pears make the best juice if you've got a juicer (should take my own advice, we have a garden full of the wretched things).

I thought maybe I was asking a bit of a dim question hoxtonchick as well!!??? The d**m things are still rock hard this morning-to cook or not to cook, anyone else know if using under-ripe pears is ok?

i don't think they need to be ripe. if they are you could just sieve them, ie not cook.

'Fraid I use tinned pears and they are just right for pureeing Sorry not much help, but I would tend to agree with the others

if you think about apples, if you make your own apple sauce to go with pork, they go v mushy no matter how hard they were to begin with

Thanks for replies folks, was more thinking along the lines of under-ripe pears causing tummy ache,etc, rather than them not being soft enough, as the cooking itself will soften them enough. ??

Thanks for replies folks, was more thinking along the lines of under-ripe pears causing tummy ache,etc, rather than them not being soft enough, as the cooking itself will soften them enough. ??

just to change the subject slightly, have started a new thread under allergies, about the contents of "organix fruit double" purees....

They will soften with cooking but they don't taste as nice I think

just cooked up one pear for tonight, and tasted it before pureeing- b**y awful!! Oh well, never mind!