How to Know When Large Avocados Are Ripe
Avocados are a staple of Mexican food and go great with almost any dish from that region. If you are cooking Mexican food, you need to make sure that the avocados are ripe. Likewise, if you are purchasing avocados from a store, you must verify that the avocados are ripe before you purchase them. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Pick up the avocado with one hand and touch your forehead with the other. The avocado should be the softer than your forehead. It it is the same firmness, the fruit is too ripe.
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Touch your hand to your cheek when feeling the avocado. If the avocado has the same softness as your cheek (or softer) it is under-ripe. You can purchase it, but you will need to wait a few days for it to ripen before use (or you can use a ripening technique).
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Touch your nose when while holding the avocado. If the firmness of the avocado is similar to the firmness of your nose, then most likely the avocado is ripe and ready for use.
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Hold the avocado firmly and pull off the stem, which is on one tip. Look at the bottom of the stem and the stem leaves. If either of these are brownish in color, the avocado might have brown spots and should not be purchased. You are looking for a light green color, which signifies the avocado is ripe.
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Tips & Warnings
Feel several different avocados at the store so you can get a good idea of what various levels of ripeness feels like. This way, you will be able to make a better decision when selecting one.
Don't just use the rind as an indication of an avocado's ripeness--the rind can be different colors depending on the type of avocado. You are looking for the firmness and color of the fruit to determine the ripeness.
