Peaches are tasty only when they are ripe but if you end up buying rock-hard peaches, you will be disappointed. Such kinds of peaches lack the texture and taste you are looking for. On the other hand, a ripened peach is juicy and soft which you would love to have on a summer day.
Even if you have bought unripe peaches, you can still ripen it fast at home. One of the method to do so is microwave.
Below are the steps you need to follow to ripen peaches in the microwave:
- Take a microwave-safe dish and place unripe peaches on it.
- Set the microwave on medium power and run it for 15 seconds.
- Take out the peaches and put them in a brown paper bag.
- Also, put two ripe apples or bananas in the same paper bag.
- Loosely close the brown paper bag and place it in an area at room temperature where direct sunlight comes.
- Check the peaches daily to prevent them from over-ripening.
With this procedure, the peaches will be ripened in 1-2 days. As the fruits ripen, they produce ethylene gas. There are some fruits like bananas and apples which release a greater amount of ethylene gas.
When unripe fruits are exposed to ripe fruits, they get more ethylene gas and the process of ripening speeds up. When the fruit is microwaved, the heat from the appliance along with the ethylene gas from the ripened fruits help to kickstart the process of ripening.
Therefore, to ripe peaches fast, they are first microwaved and then put in a brown paper bag along with ripened apples or bananas.
How to stew peaches in microwave?
Stewed peaches are easy to make and are an excellent topping for ice cream, pancakes, waffles, and many other things. It is easy to digest and has a soothing effect. It is also given to infants and old adults with denture problems.
To stew peaches in the microwave, follow the below-mentioned procedure:
- Wash the peaches properly and remove any pits or parts that are rotten.
- Slice the fruit into 4 or 8 pieces and put them in a microwave-safe bowl.
- To add flavor to the stewed peaches, add cinnamon, cloves, lemon juice, sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons of water to it.
- Mix them well and run the microwave for 3 minutes on medium power.
- Stir it once and again microwave it for another 1-2 minutes.
Stewed peaches are ready and if you want it chilled, cool the mixture and refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour in the refrigerator.
How to peel peaches using microwave?
To peel peaches using a microwave, follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Take some peaches and wash them properly.
- Take a knife and make an X on the bottom of each peach. Make the cut as shallow as possible as you would like to just peel the fruit and not cut the flesh at all while peeling.
- Put all the peaches in a microwave-safe dish and ensure the dish is large enough to accommodate the peaches in one layer. There should not be any overlapping of peaches.
- Microwave the dish for about 30 seconds. If there are many peaches at a time, microwave for another 30 seconds.
- Take the peaches out of the appliance and peel back the skin of the peaches from where you have put X mark. The skin should fall back.
Normally, peaches are eaten without peeling them as the skin does not have a bitter taste but some recipes require the skin of the fruit to be turned off completely.
Peaches have super thin skin and peeling it is a little difficult as the peel rips into many tiny pieces. If you have to peel just one peach, it is not a problem but peeling many of them for a dish or dessert is a time-consuming process if done with a knife alone.
In that case, it is good if you use a microwave to do so and the process to follow is mentioned above.
How to thaw frozen peaches in microwave?
Before eating frozen peaches, they should be thawed. When the frozen peaches are thawed, the accumulated moisture is removed and their soft texture is regained.
You can thaw frozen peaches in the refrigerator but it will take about 6 hours. To speed up the thawing process, you can use a microwave or cold water.
Given below is the method to thaw frozen peaches in the microwave:
- Take a microwave-safe plate and line it with a paper towel. Place the frozen peaches or frozen slices on it evenly. Try not to overlap the slices.
- Set the microwave on the defrost setting. In case your microwave does not have this setting, set it at 50% power.
- Run the microwave for 1 minute and then check if the peaches are thawed.
- If not, you can again run the appliance for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- There may be uneven thawing of peaches in the microwave. So, remove the fruits or slices from the microwave that are thawed properly and microwave the remaining ones again for 30 seconds more.
- Once all the peaches or slices are thawed, remove them from the microwave immediately, and use or serve them giving no time for the bacteria to grow on them.
Can I ripen peaches in a cardboard box?
Yes, you can ripen peaches in a cardboard box if you have a lot of peaches to ripen. For this, you will need a cardboard box and place all the peaches in a single layer.
Close the lid of the box and keep it at room temperature for 2-3 days. Check the peaches every day to prevent them from over-ripening.
If you have just 2-3 peaches, you can use the microwave method mentioned above. It is also an easy method that accelerates the ripening process and you can have juicy fruit in a day or two.
Conclusion
Fruits like peaches are tasty and juicy only when they are ripened properly and naturally ripened fruits are the best to eat. But sometimes you end up buying fruits that are not ripened properly and want to eat within 1-2 days, you need to speed up the ripening process.
In such cases, the microwave method can be helpful. Ripening peaches in a microwave is also a well-used process by most of us and this has been explained above in detail.
From now on, whenever you have unripe peaches, use the microwave method.