Courtesy of the World Avocado Organization
How do I know if an avocado is ripe and ready to eat?
When you buy avocados at your grocery store, some might be perfectly ready to devour, others might need some time to get there. Here are two handy tips to find out if an avocado is ripe and ready:
- Cup your hands around the avocado and gently press into it. Does it yield a little? If the answer is yes, it’s ready to slice or mash into whatever delicious dish you have in mind.
- Does the avocado’s stem (the short fruit stalk at the top) come off easily when you flick it with your finger? If the answer is yes, the ripening process has reached the top of the fruit and your avocado is perfectly scoop-able!
If your avocado isn’t quite there yet but you can’t wait to eat it, there are ways to hurry up the ripening process
- Store your avocados at room temperature
- Keep them in a bowl with other fruit – bananas are particularly effective
- Put them in a brown paper bag with bananas or apples. The other fruits will “nudge” the avocado along, using plant hormones to speed up the ripening process.
How can I store a cut avocado in the best way?
If you want to store a cut avocado properly, here are two really useful tips:
- If you want to store a cut avocado, it is best to sprinkle
the surface with an acidic agent such as lemon,
lime juice, or vinegar to prevent discoloration. - Keep cut avocados and dishes containing avocados
such as guacamole in the fridge – either in an air-
tight container or covered with cling film, which is
best gently pressed on the food surface.
