An avocado is a bright green fruit with a large pit and a dark, leathery skin. Avocados are a favorite in the produce department and the preferred ingredient for guacamole dips. You can find them in all sorts of dishes, fromThe salad and wrapsto smoothies and even brownies. This pear-shaped berry (yes, that's right!) has become a superfood. We'll give you a few tips on how to store avocado, whether it's whole or sliced.
How do you store whole avocado?
A whole avocado is much easier to store than an avocado half because the peel protects the flesh from oxidation. However, there are steps you can take to extend the shelf life of your avocados (or speed up their ripening).
Store whole ripe avocado
Ripe, ready-to-eat avocados are best stored in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process. Store them in the refrigerator drawer of your low humidity refrigerator (most refrigerator drawers have a vent that allows you to adjust the humidity). This way they will last for two to three days. It's just important that the avocados don't touch any other fruits or vegetables. The ethylene secreted can otherwise significantly accelerate the ripening process of the avocados and cause them to spoil more quickly.
Store whole unripe avocado
Unripe avocados that are not yet ready to eat should be stored at room temperature to speed up the ripening process. Leave them on the countertop and keep them out of direct sunlight. Ripening can take up to five days. Check the ripeness daily by gently pressing the fruit to see if it yields to the pressure.
As soon as you cut open an avocado, you're exposing it to its worst enemy: oxygen. The flesh of the avocado turns brown when it comes into contact with oxygen due to a reactive enzyme and a process called oxidation.
Trying to keep an avocado half ripe is an uphill battle. But there are some preventative measures you can take to keep the beautiful green flesh from turning brown and rotten.
Store half an avocado: ripe
- Store with lemon juice
Ripe, ready-to-eat avocado halves are a real feast for the eyes. But they won't stay that way for long. To prevent them from turning brown, sprinkle the flesh with a little lemon juice or lime juiceor olive oil. The antioxidants in lemon prevent the avocado from browning as quickly.
Wrap the fruit halves with cling film and place them in the refrigerator. Save the halves with the core in place because the core keeps the pulp for longer.
- store in water
You can also protect the avocado flesh with water. Fill a container with water and place the avocado flesh side down in the water. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days.
Store half an avocado: unripe
While a ripe avocado half is a beautiful thing, there's nothing worse than cutting into an avocado whose flesh is solid and inedible. Before you throw them away, take these measures: Drizzle the pulp with lemon or lime juice, put the halves back together and wrap them with plastic wrap. Place them in the refrigerator and check their ripeness daily.
Whether you can freeze an avocadofind out here.
