How to choose a ripe and tasty avocado in the store! Important tips and lifehacks

In the last ten years, this overseas miracle has won the hearts of millions. Avocado today is not just an ingredient in restaurant dishes or a superfood for healthy eating enthusiasts, it has become a completely familiar product for the daily menu.

Appearance of the fruit, benefits and harms

The shape of an avocado, depending on the variety, can be round or pear-shaped, and the color can range from deep green to black. What is the secret of his popularity? This unique fruit is incredibly rich in healthy fats and also contains about 20 vitamins and minerals. In addition, it is extremely low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, which is why avocado is so often included in the diet of those who follow weight loss diets.

But, like any other product, it can bring not only benefits, but also harm. Estragole and anethole contained in its composition in large quantities can lead to complications in people suffering from liver diseases. Discomfort can also occur in those who have stomach problems, who have too thin blood and high potassium levels in the body. In addition, it should be consumed with caution by pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, as avocados may reduce breast milk production. Those taking anti-inflammatory medications should also avoid the fruit so as not to reduce the effectiveness of the medications. The basic rule to follow is to know when to stop. A moderate amount of avocado will be extremely beneficial for people who are not allergic to it.

Choosing an avocado

Probably everyone who buys an avocado has at least once encountered disappointment – the fruit turns out to be either underripe or overripe, when you wanted to get the absolutely opposite result. To avoid playing the lottery, you need to remember a few simple rules.

Pay attention to the color and condition of the peel: the riper the avocado, the darker it is. Unripe fruits are greener (although there are exceptions, because everything primarily depends on the variety, but more on that later). Choosing the color of the skin is quite simple – if you need a soft fruit, take a black one, and if it is dense, take a green one. As for the peel itself, it should be slightly uneven, but without visible dents or signs of damage.

Touching an avocado is one of the surest ways to determine its ripeness. The fruit, ready to eat, is quite soft, but after lightly pressing it with your finger, the skin immediately returns to its place. If you have the opportunity to check the fruit in this way, be sure to take advantage of it, because choosing by softness will give you much more information than appearance.

Another way to visually determine ripeness is to select by cutting. In a ripe fruit it is slightly brown or light green, while in an overripe one it is dark, even black. Also, inspect the cutting for rot and mold. This method works with freshly picked stalks. In other cases, the cutting may be affected by light, temperature and other factors, and the results may be distorted.

The choice of knock and weight is also easy, especially the first one. Bring the avocado to your ear, shake it slightly and listen: if you can hear the sound of the kernel beating inside, then the avocado is ripe. An unripe fruit will have no sound. With weight, everything is a little more complicated; it requires experience and practice. Place the fruit on your hand and evaluate its weight: too light may still be green, and too heavy may be overripe.

Let’s also focus on Which avocados should you not buy?:

• Crumpled, with visible damage to the peel;
• With mold or rot on the handle;
• Frankly immature.

Another important question is whether it is possible to eat unripe avocados. Firstly, such fruits do not have the characteristic pleasant taste and texture of the pulp; they are difficult to peel and separate from the stone. In addition, they can actually be harmful to health. But what to do with an unripe avocado if you already bought it? In most cases, time will help – you just need to let the fruit ripen a little. If the avocado is really picked too early, it may begin to spoil before it reaches the desired consistency and taste. So it is better to stay away from unripe fruits.

What varieties are there?

You are planning to buy an avocado, you already know how to choose a ripe fruit by color, but an unexpected surprise may await you here, because the varieties, like the colors, can be different. The varieties Fuerte, Charvil, Ettinger and Reed remain green even when they reach optimal maturity. Haas avocados, on the other hand, turn dark purple and even black when ripe. The Gwen variety is very similar to it, but its skin color is closer to green, although rather dark. The ripened Bacon variety also has a dark green peel. That is why, when purchasing, be sure to specify what type of fruit is in front of you.

Avocado: how to eat it, how to choose a cutting method

There is no one way to properly peel an avocado, it all depends on where you plan to use it. First, you need to wash the fruit well and dry it slightly. If you need neat slices for a salad or snack, for example, then you can peel it with a vegetable peeler or carefully remove the skin with your fingers (the skin comes off very easily from a well-ripened avocado) by prying it with a knife. Before this, the fruit can either be cut in half with a knife or left whole.

If it is already cut and you need the pulp for puree or sauce, then it is more convenient to remove the pit, then scoop out the pulp with a spoon, and simply discard the peel halves.

How to store

In the refrigerator, ripe fruits can be perfectly preserved for up to 5 days. To ensure proper storage of avocados, place them in a tight bag or wrap them in cling film and put them in a crisper drawer.

Freezing the fetus is also possible. You can put it in the freezer:

• Whole – wash, dry and wrap in cling film or bag.
• In halves – cut, remove the pit, wrap each half in film.
• Sliced ​​- peel, cut the pulp into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice and place on a baking sheet or plate. Once the pulp has hardened, place it in a tight ziplock bag or container.
• In the form of a puree, place the crushed pulp in a tightly closed container.

Frozen fruit can be stored for 2 to 6 months.

How to make an avocado ripen and become soft

If you come across a fruit that is a bit dense, don’t be upset. It is quite possible to solve this problem at home. The easiest way to store it in this case is in a paper bag or newspaper. Simply wrap the unripe fruit and place the avocado in a warm place for a couple of days. Or pair avocado with other fruits, such as banana. Shaking the fruit once a day and checking for softness will help monitor the ripening process. Once the avocado pit is knocking and the flesh is no longer too dense, you can peel, cut and eat.

When you need to get the fruit ready to eat quickly, heat the avocado in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees and turned off, with aluminum foil, wrapping the fruit tightly in it. Warming up in the oven will take about 8-10 minutes and you will have a soft avocado on the table.

This can also be done in the microwave. Everything is easier and faster here, but you need to carefully monitor the process. Place the washed fruits on a suitable plate, make several deep punctures, cover with a plastic lid and heat the avocado in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then check and further adjust until soft, if necessary.

If you have already cut the avocado and it turns out to be too dense, then you can soften it with boiling water. Place the pulp in a colander and place in a saucepan or other container with hot water for 1 minute.

What to cook with avocado

Note to you three simple recipes from this healthy and tasty fruit, which can be prepared in just a few minutes.

Sandwiches

You can whip up a hearty and delicious appetizer with canned fish.

Ingredients:

• Canned tuna – 140 grams;
• Avocado – 1 pc.;
• Bread – 4-6 slices;
• Salt, pepper, herbs, lemon – to taste.

Dry the bread a little in a frying pan, in a toaster or in the oven. Peel the avocado and cut into thin slices. Mash the tuna with a fork. Cut the lemon into slices. Wash and dry the greens. Place avocado slices, fish, lemon and herbs on bread. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Guacamole

A soft and well-ripened avocado is suitable for this snack.

Ingredients:

• Avocado – 1 pc.;
• Tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
• Onion – 1/3 pcs.;
• Greens – 1/2 bunch;
• Salt, chili pepper – to taste;
• Lemon juice – 1-1.5 tbsp. l.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop out the pulp. Mash it with a fork into a puree. Peel and chop the onion. Cut the tomatoes into as small cubes as possible. Squeeze lemon juice and chop the herbs. Combine all ingredients, add salt and chili pepper to taste. Stir and serve.

Smoothie

This is an incredibly healthy snack. It can be served as a drink or as a cold soup for an afternoon snack, for example.

Ingredients:

• Avocado – 1 pc.;
• Apple – 1 pc.;
• Spinach – 1 bunch;
• Olive oil – 2 drops;
• Honey – 1 tbsp. l.;
• Water – 1 glass (mineral or plain).

Wash and dry the spinach. Remove the core of the apple and cut the pulp into small cubes. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop out the pulp. Combine all ingredients and blend in a blender until smooth. Add water, honey and a drop of olive oil to taste. Serve immediately.