How can you tell if a pear is ripe enough to eat?

Answer 1

Check the Neck for Ripeness!

Pears are a unique fruit that ripen best off the tree (without getting technical, pears that ripen on the tree will be gritty), they are meant to be ripened after purchase. The other reason you might rarely find ripe pears in the store is that ripe pears are fragile, so it's better to have them ripen at your home rather than in the store.
Place hard pears in a paper bag or a covered fruit bowl, leave at room temperature.
Every day, "Check the Neck for Ripeness"™. To do this, apply gentle pressure to the stem end of the pear with your thumb. When it yields to the pressure, it's ready to eat (this process usually takes a few days).
Enjoy your ripe, juicy pears now, or store them in the fridge until you're ready to use them. The fridge will slow down the ripening process, but won't stop it. Ready to eat pears will stay fresh in the fridge for between 3-5 days.

Answer 2

A pear is ripe enough to eat if you can push the flesh in slightly and it has a little give.

Answer 3

Also ripe pears will give off more aroma than unripe pears. This is the same with most fruit. Smell your fruit (does that sound bad?) if it doesn't smell like the ripe fruit, it isn't ready to eat. Your nose knows.

Answer 4

Push lightly at the top of the pear... if its somewhat soft.. not hard.. but notmushy.... then its perfectly ripe... if its mushy.. its over ripe

Answer 5

It is not difficult to deal with pears - they ripen also after they are harvested