Avocados - teach me about them please

#1

So I know if they green they are not ripe and hard to cut. Does anyone eat them green? When they are dark green/black they are ripe and easy to cut. Are you able to put them in the fridge to slow down ripening? What if you need to ripen it, how would you do this? Thanks!!

#2

I’ve heard people slicing the hard unripened avocados and frying them until crispy like potato chips.

Ripen them quicker by putting them in a brown paper bag with apples, tomatoes or bananas.

And yes you can slow ripening in the fridge (they recommend fulling ripening them at room temperature, putting them in the fridge to stall the ripening process, then use them within 3-7 days.)

#3

What :point_up: he said

#4

Oops - forgot to add that there are different varieties. The green, smooth skinned ones & the much darker, rough skinned ones. I find the green skinned ones easier to manage in terms of ripening - the darker, rough skinned ones can go bad before you know it as the skin has less give in general.

(Bev Anne Moynham) #5

I get bags of cubed avocados in the freezer section of my grocery store. I find they are more reliable because by the time they are shipped to Canada they are often rotten inside. When I lived in Ecuador where they were cheap – I kept them in a basket on my counter and ate the ones on the bottom first when they were ripe. When they are ripe they are slightly soft to the touch.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #6

I eat them raw when they are green and hard to cut. I prefer the taste and texture better than ripened. I slice and fan them out and salt and pepper them.

(Carpe salata!) #7

I’d say you’re an exception. However that would give you the benefit of not having to eat a brown ‘rotten’ avocado because you would never let them go that long. I only buy the dark (black?) ones and only the Haas variety because that’s what we get here. I have to be sure to eat them in the next few days or they will get the dreaded brown bits in them. I like the soft buttery texture and just eat them out of the skin with a teaspoon … or slice them and put them on my steak.

(Mike W.) #8

Putting them in the fridge slows the ripening process. Also you can pluck out the “eye” and get a good idea about what’s going on inside.

(Bob M) #9

Personally, I don’t like avocados unless they’re made into guacamole. Even guac has to be covered, else it goes dark, which I assume is oxidation (likely to the PUFAs - bad news? PUFA oxidation = bad).

I also – and forgive me if I cause anyone to faint – think they’re too fatty. I prefer less fatty foods lately, the last several months.

(Running from stupidity) #10

Aye. Lemon juice works well to cover it with.

#11

Not necessarily true. Most avos sold locally here are Hass variety - the ones with the nubbly skin. They can be both green and ripe, and black and not ripe yet. You tell when an avo is ripe not by color, but by carefully squeezing it (but not so much as to damage it). If it gives a wee bit, it’s either ripe or close to being ripe. The right feel is something you learn. If it’s really soft, it’s probably over-ripe.

If they are both green and shiny in the store, avoid them. These are fruits picked too early and will either never ripen properly, or if they get soft, they’ll be on the watery side and won’t have a good enough oil content to taste good.

(Running from stupidity) #12

Yep. I’ve found the best place to do the test-squeeze is where the stem was.

(Todd Allen) #13

Here in Chicago Hass avocados are sold year round and a larger pale green variety from Florida are available seasonally. I never much liked the Florida ones and when they recently started marketing them as low fat avocados I learned why I don’t like them.

My tip for Haas is don’t buy round ones, the more spherical they are the worse the flesh to pit ratio.

(Ken) #14

If you make guacamole avoid a food processor, the friction can turn the flesh brown. I like to use my semi retired potato masher or my kraut pounder. Finish up mixing with a fork.

(Jennibc) #15

I put them in the fridge once they are ripe and they typically are okay for a few more days. But once they go in the fridge they stop ripening completely so only do it if they are ready to cut.

(Jennibc) #16

I use my whisk to mash them and then stir up the ingredients.

(Jennibc) #17

I have a very easy ‘guacamole’ recipe that is worth trying if you like the taste of guac but not all the chopping. I take ripe avocados, a crushed garlic clove, chili powder, and a couple of tablespoons of lime juice and mash all together. When I was using jalepenos, cilantro, tomatoes, etc. I found it took a good half an hour to 40 minutes to make a batch of guac. This takes me less than 10 minutes. Because it’s something I eat every day, I like the times savings even though the other way yielded a more authentic guac. I eat it with plain pork rinds! mmmm mmmm