There are more than 3,000 varieties of pears, but the selection at most grocery stores is much more limited. Common varieties in the United States include Bartlett (also known as Williams), Bosc, Anjou, Concord, Forel, and Asian pear. The good news is that you can use any type of pear in this recipe, so choose what you like or have available. Like apples, some pears are sweeter, more tart, and juicier than others.
We recommend using ripe pears for overnight oats. It may seem difficult to tell if pears are ripe. This is because the flesh of pears is soft and sweet, but at the same time it can feel hard. A good rule of thumb is to lightly press the top of the pear near the stem. If the pulp is soft and yields under light pressure, it is ripe. The rest of the pear will still be firm, but it doesn’t need to feel rock hard. The exception is the Asian pear, which becomes firm and crunchy when ripe.
In fact, pears ripen after they are harvested and only a few days after they are removed from cold storage. If you want them to ripen quickly, place them in a sealed paper bag with apples or ripe bananas. The ethylene gas emitted by these two fruits causes pears to ripen faster.