How to Pick a Ripe Avocado

It can be difficult to pick a ripe avocado for a meal later in the week. Often you pick one that feels ripe and by the time you use it, the avocado has spoiled. Other times you find yourself waiting longer than you'd expected to use the avocado because it just won't ripen.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Plan to buy your avocado the same day you need it if possible. This prevents buying avocados that aren't yet ripe and then hoping they will be ripe by the time you need them.

2. Use the squeeze test to tell if an avocado is ripe. If the flesh is still relatively firm and gives slightly when you gently squeeze, the avocado is ripe.

3. Try squeezing several different avocados to compare their firmness. Squishy avocados are past their prime.

4. Speed the ripening process at home by putting the avocados in a paper sack. Fold over the top of the sack to trap in the natural gas the ripening fruit emits.

5. Put ripe avocados in the fridge to stop the ripening process. They keep for several days in the fridge just as ripe as when you put them in.

Tips & Warnings

• To keep the lovely green color of the flesh once an avocado has been cut, sprinkle the fruit with any acidic juice. Lemon, lime or even grapefruit juice prevents browning and livens up the other flavors in your dish.
• Don't buy avocados based on their peel color. Different varieties of avocados can stay green even after they are overly ripe and some turn brown on the outside while they are perfectly ripe inside.

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