Storing avocados and/or pears

Store any of these fruits at room temperature for up to a week until they are ripe, and then move them to the refrigerator, where they can keep for up to another week. For pears, check for ripeness observing the “neck” right next to the stem for a slight softness. To speed up ripening process of both fruits, place them in a paper bag. For avocados, throw them into the bag with a banana, which produces the most ripening-inducing ethylene of any fruit, and they will be guacamole-ready in about a day.