There’s no denying that avocados are one of the trickiest vegetables to get right. While some avocados seem like they take an eternity to ripen, others ripen so fast that you have to either eat them immediately, or throw them out. And if you don’t wish to eat your avocado in one sitting, how are you supposed to store this finicky produce so it’ll live another day? With so many avocado unknowns, we could all use a few tricks up our sleeves. Read on to find out our 3 insider secrets on how to choose, prepare, and store your avocado!
Press Down By the Stem
It can be difficult to determine exactly when your avocado is just right to eat, and your attempts to find out by squeezing the sides may be damaging the edible flesh inside. By pressing down by the stem instead, you are able to check to see if your avocado is ripe, without doing any damage.
EatThis.com tells us why pressing down by the stem is superior to giving your entire avocado a squeeze:
“Avocados are delicate! You can check to see if the fruit is ripe by giving it a quick squeeze, but you shouldn’t press in on the sides. Doing so can bruise the beautiful green part you will ultimately eat. Instead, press down lightly (about the same amount of pressure you’d use to click a mouse) on the top of the avocado by the stem. If it gives easily and retains its shape, the avocado is ready to eat. If your finger leaves a dent, the avocado is likely overripe and could be brown inside.”
Wash Before You Slice
Seeing as we don’t eat the outside of the avocado, we may not think to wash its skin before we slice it. However, washing the outside of the avocado is important in order to kill the listeria and salmonella that may live on its skin, potentially transferring to the flesh inside.
Right as Rain by UW Medicine explains more on why you should also wash before you slice:
“This is a crucial step that not a lot of people know to do. Before slicing an avocado, rinse it off thoroughly. Why? So any germs on the outside of the avocado skin don’t get transferred to the inside (aka the part you eat) via your knife.”
Keep Whole Avocados Out of the Refrigerator (Unless They’re Already Mushy)
Have you ever stored your avocados in the fridge, only to find that they never seem to ripen? In order for an avocado to perfectly ripen, storing them in the refrigerator is never a good idea. However, if you’re looking to preserve an avocado that is already mushy and/or you have already cut in half, placing it in the fridge is a great way to prevent it from going bad for a little bit longer.
WellandGood.com tells us why you should only store avocados in the refrigerator after they’ve already ripened:
“Generally, you shouldn’t refrigerate avocados if you want them to be perfectly ripe and delicious, but if one is already mushy and you’re not quite ready to eat it, stick it in the fridge to prevent it from going bad. On the other side of the spectrum, “if you want the green ones to ripen faster, put them in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper, with a banana,” Jinich says, sharing her top ripening trick.”
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