Papaya Cooking Tips

Fresh papaya enzymes can cause gelatin to fail

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Updated on 05/11/19

Fresh papaya — Lisa Marie Thompson/Photolibrary/Getty Images

Papaya Cooking Tips

• Ripe papaya fruit is best eaten raw, while green fruits are preferred for cooking.
• Use scooped out papaya halves as a serving dish for fruit, chicken or seafood salads.
• Season green papaya with cinnamon, honey, and butter. Bake for a delightfully different side dish.
• Cut in papaya half, sprinkle with or lemon juice, port or rum, and a sprinkling of sugar for a quick, fresh fruit dessert.
• When adding papaya to fruit salads, add it at the last minute so its enzymes will not soften the other .
• Try substituting green papaya for winter squash. Drain off the white, acidic sap first before using.
• For a pepper substitute, try ground papaya seeds.
• If you are using the papaya for the fruit alone, peel first before slicing and seeding.
• Use only cooked papaya or pasteurized papaya juice in gelatins or it will not firm up.
• Pureed papaya added to a marinade will not only give a tropical flavor, but also tenderize meat and poultry.
• Overripe fruit can be pureed and used as a sauce for ice cream, a topping for pancakes, or stirred into yogurt.
• One medium papaya should yield 1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped fruit.
• One pound fresh papaya yields about 2 cups sliced.
• Fruits that go well with papaya: Mango, passionfruit, kiwifruit, and most berries.
• Complimentary herbs: Chives, cilantro, basil, mint, and .