Do you like avocados but stopped buying them because you just can’t figure them out?

I get it – there’s nothing worse than paying for a less than perfect avocado. Lucky for you, I have a system in place. This is because I eat at least 1/2 an avocado a day, which means I must always have perfectly ripe ones on hand or else it’s a just sad, sad day.

Enough said, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

PS…Keep in mind this is not from evidence-based literature, but from my long-term relationship with avocados.

AVOCADO ABCD’s
A. SELECT
B. SIT
C. SLICE
D. STORE

A. SELECT

  1. At the store, start by asking yourself “When do I plan on eating the avocado?” If the answer is between now and the next 48 hours, you’re gonna want to purchase a RIPE avocado. Looking at the image above, you can see that RIPE avocados tend to be darker in color, while unripe avocados tend to be greener in color.
  2. Next, hold the avocado as shown in the image on the right, using your thumb to gently press near the top. A perfectly ripe avocado will give a little. If it’s hard to the touch, it’s not ripe at all. If it gives a lot (feels mushy), it’s probably overripe or brown on the inside.
  3. So, if you want to eat the avocado within 48 hours, find a ripe one. If you plan on eating it in 5-7 days, select a less ripe avocado.
  4. Last, make sure to check the avocado for any indents or bruises. Feeling or seeing these means BROWN on the inside.

B. SIT

  1. Selecting avocados is one part of the equation, where it “sits’ until you eat it is just as important.
  2. In short: if it’s UNRIPE – LET IT RIPPEN ON THE COUNTER (Speed up the process by placing it in a brown paper bag). Once ripe, TRANSFER TO FRIDGE.
  3. This said, RIPE AVOCADOS CHILL (pun intended) IN THE FRIDGE until consumed.
  4. DO NOT PLACE UNRIPE AVOCADOS IN THE FRIDGE.

C. SLICE

  1. Use a knife to score (cut) your ready-to-eat (ripe) avocado in half, VERTICALLY (see image).
  2. Gently twist the two halves until one side breaks off from the pit.
  3. If you only want to eat half of an avocado, EAT THE HALF WITHOUT THE PIT FIRST. Do not remove the pit of the other half until consumption.
  4. If you’re eating the half with the pit, gently hacking (stab) your knife into the pit and twist/pull it out.
  5. To get the avocado “fresh” out of it’s skin, use a spoon to scoop it out. You can slice the avocado either before or after scooping it out.

D. STORE

The million dollar question:
How do I keep my avocado from turning brown?

  1. First, try not to cut it until consumption. For example, if you’re making a salad or guac, keep avocados untouched until the VERY LAST MINUTE.
  2. Now let’s say you only eat one half, how do you store the other half? Plastic wrap? Lemon juice? Believe it or not, one of the best ways to store an avocado half (the one with the pit) is in an airtight container filled with chopped onion.
  3. Place the avocado half either beside or sitting on top of some chopped onion and aim to eat it within 48 hours (the sooner the better).
  4. If you plan on eating the second half within 24 hours or less like I do, don’t worry about the chopped onion – the avocado will do just fine in plastic wrap, a ziplock or Tupperware container.

***Dani’s Avocado Lovers Tip***
If you eat avocados on the daily, I suggest you have a rotating avocado system. It’s simple:
When my bag of 4 avocados becomes ripe, I transfer them to the fridge and go out and buy a bag of unripe ones. The unripe ones sit on the counter and ripen as I make my way through the ripe ones the fridge. The cycle goes on and on and on!

I hope this was helpful information, best of luck!

Danielle Rancourt, MS, RD, CSSD
Performance Dietitian & Specialist