tip
Touch the avocado
There are many varieties of this fruit in the world, and they differ from each other in one way or another. We will tell you the main ways that you need to rely on when choosing any avocado.
Touch the avocado
One of the most reliable signs of fruit maturity is its softness. A ripe avocado should give in to pressure.
To avoid damaging the flesh, press the fruit with your fingertips or palm instead of your fingertips. The stone-hard fruit is clearly under-ripe. If the avocado is too soft, as if mushy from the inside, it is already overripe and probably spoiled.
tip
Look closely at the place of attachment of the peduncle
Another very important aspect when choosing a good fruit.
Remove the stalk and look at the trace under it. In a ripe avocado, this place will be yellowish or light brown. The unripe fruit is light green, and the overripe fruit is dark. If there is mold under the stalk, the avocado has deteriorated, so it is definitely not worth taking it.
tip
Pay attention to the color and condition of the peel
As a rule, the rich dark green color of the skin indicates the maturity of the fruit.
This avocado is usually ready for use.
Sometimes the skin of ripe fruit can cast purple or black. For example, the almost black rind is natural for the California avocado or "Hass" variety. If the surface of the fruit is light or moderately green-most likely, the avocado is unripe.
However, the skin of some varieties, such as "Fuerte" or "zutano", even after full maturation does not darken. So the color of the peel is still not the surest sign. If you choose among avocados of the same variety, give preference to the fruit that is darker.
Regardless of the color of the skin, it should not have cuts, rotten areas, and any other damage.
method
How to make avocado ripen and become soft
If you still bought an unripe avocado, it's okay. The fruit is quite capable of reaching the desired condition at home at room temperature.
Depending on the degree of maturity of the avocado, this may take a different amount of time — from a couple of days to a week. Here are a few ways to speed up the process.
Put the avocado with other fruits
Place the fruit in a paper bag with a banana or apple (you can do both at once). Close and leave at room temperature.
Bananas and apples emit ethylene gas, which speeds up the maturation of avocados. And the package keeps this gas inside.
Place the avocado in a warm place
Wrap the fruit in paper or regular newspaper and place it on a battery, for example. To avoid direct contact with the hot appliance, place the fruit first in a container or cover the radiator with a cloth.
Preheat the avocado in the oven
Keep in mind that this is not a natural process of ripening avocado, but rather it is cooking. This method is suitable if you are absolutely impatient to eat soft fruit.
It will indeed become soft very quickly, but the texture inside will differ from that of the fruit that has matured on its own. If you still choose a method with heating, first wrap the avocado in foil. Put it in a mold and place it in a preheated 90°C oven.
The time will depend on the degree of maturity of the fetus. An unripe avocado may take an hour or more. So check the softness every 10 minutes.
Heat the avocado in the microwave
The principle is the same as with the oven (only without foil!). This method is better to use if there is no time to wait at all.
First, pierce the avocado with a fork in several places. Place it inside the device and set the minimum power. Heat the avocado as long as necessary, checking it for softness every 30 seconds.