What is the best way to use quince?

The answer

Cook it. Quince is usually cooked, as in jam, paste, jelly, poached desserts or stews, because raw fruit is hard and astringent. It is high in natural pectin, so it sets easily, and a long, slow poach typically turns the flesh from pale to a rosy amber color. Quince stays hard and fragrant even when ready, so judge it by its yellow color and strong perfume rather than by softness. Let poached fruit cool in its syrup.