If cooking peaches for dessert do they have to be ripe beforehand?

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes. I have some that aren't quite ripe yet. I'm letting them sit on the counter for another day or two before I make cobbler.

 

[SEEING-TO-BELIEVE]

i've been told elsewhere they would be mushy if cooked ripe.
i'm a confused.

perhaps, as long as they are not completely unripe they will be best?

 

[pepperhead212]

STB, You have probably got the right idea with the partially ripe (or unripe!) peaches. I have seen recipes calling for that, when you want some firmness, in some slices in a dish. Probably get best flavor for things like a jam, when you let them get very ripe, and they are going to be puréed, anyway.

 

[medtran49]

I don't use eating ripened peaches when I'm baking with them, as they will get mushy. I'd say about 2/3 to 3/4 ripe.

 

[Andy M.]

As fruits ripen, two things happen: the flavor improves and the texture softens. You have to decide what the balance of those two properties is right for you.