This article was co-authored by Jennifer Levasseur. Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College.
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Papayas taste best right off the tree, but most of us don't have that opportunity. Learn how to find ripe store-bought fruit instead to give yourself a taste of the tropics. If you can only find green papayas, you can ripen them at home within a few days.
Steps
Choosing a Ripe Papaya
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1Check the color. The skin of a ripe papaya ranges from yellow to orange-red. A few green spots are fine, especially since the papaya will ripen rapidly at home.[1]
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2Press the skin. Press the papaya gently with your fingertips. If the fruit is ripe, your fingers should sink slightly into it, similar to a ripe avocado. A hard papaya is not ripe. A papaya with mushy spots or shriveled areas is overripe.
- Avoid papayas with soft flesh near the stem end.[2]
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3Check the base for mold. Look at the base of the papaya, where the stem was attached. If you see any mold or mildew, do not buy this papaya.[3]
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4Smell the base. Look for a papaya that has a faint, sweet scent near the stem. Avoid papayas with no smell, which are unripe. Avoid papayas with an unpleasant or strong smell, which may be old or fermented.[4]
Storing Papaya
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1Store ripe papayas in the refrigerator. Keep ripe papayas in the refrigerator to slow further ripening. While they may last up to a week, they are tastiest when eaten within a day or two.[5]
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2Store unripe papayas at room temperature. If your papayas are a little green, finish ripening them at room temperature. They should ripen within a few days. Here are two ways to speed it up and avoid mushy spots:
- Leave them on a flat surface, with space in between fruits. Keep out of direct sun. Rotate occasionally.
- Keep them in a paper bag in a cool, dark location. Optionally, add a banana, apple, or avocado to hasten ripening.
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3Ripen completely green papayas. A completely green papaya may not ripen off the tree. But if you have no other options, you can give it a try. Score your green papaya with a sharp knife, drawing three lines from tip to tip.[6] Make sure the knife penetrates the skin and lightly scores the flesh underneath. Leave at room temperature to ripen within a few days.
- Alternatively, use your green papaya for recipes such as green papaya salad.
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4Freeze papaya. If you have more papaya than you know what to do with, freeze the extras. Follow this method exactly to minimize mushiness and flavor loss:
- Peel a ripe papaya. Chop off and discard the stem end.
- Cut in half and remove seeds.
- Slice the papaya and space them out on a baking sheet. Freeze for an hour or two.
- Transfer frozen slices to a sealed container and return to freezer.
- Alternatively, puree the papaya, freeze the liquid in ice cube trays, and transfer to larger container.
References
- ↑ http://www.whats4eats.com/ingredients/buy-store-use-papaya
- ↑ http://www.smartkitchen.com/resources/papaya
- ↑ http://www.smartkitchen.com/resources/papaya
- ↑ http://www.smartkitchen.com/resources/papaya
- ↑ http://www.smartkitchen.com/resources/papaya
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/31/news/la-lh-how-to-grow-papaya-20120730
- ↑ http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=907648&fileId=S0007114502001526
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhere could I buy a small to medium size, ripe papaya fruit?
Community AnswerPapaya can be found at most better grocery stores and fruit markets. -
QuestionMy ripe papaya had no seeds inside. Is it edible?
Maggie PetersonCommunity AnswerYes, it is edible. A seedless papaya just indicates that the tree was not pollinated.
About This Article
To buy a ripe papaya, look for fruits with yellow or orange-red skins and avoid the green papayas, since those aren't ripe yet. Next, press the outside of each papaya gently with your fingertips to check for hardness. If the fruit is ripe, your fingers should sink slightly into it. Lastly, smell the base to make sure there's a faint, sweet scent near the stem. Avoid unripe papayas with no smell, as well as papayas with an unpleasant or strong smell, since those are probably overripe! If you want to learn how to store your papaya at home, keep reading the article!
