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Avocados (also known as “Alligator Pears”) are known for their nutritional qualities, and are a favorite in a variety of vegetarian and gourmet recipes.

If you are going to use avocados in your own cooking, there are a few points that you should know about how to chose, store, and prepare avocados.

Selecting and Buying Avocados

Before you buy an avocado, it can he helpful to keep in mind what you are going to use the avocado for. For slicing and chopping, you will be better off with firm but ripe avocados. For mashing avocados in recipes (such as for guacamole) you might chose very ripe and soft avocados. Select a heavy and unblemished avocado.

If you don’t plan to use an avocado for a few days, it is best to buy them less ripe than you want them. If you will need the avocados to be firm but ripe, they should be a bit unripe when you buy them. If you will want soft avocados, you can buy them when they are just barely ripe but are still firm.

How to Tell if an Avocado is Ripe:

An avocado is ripe when it is yields to a gentle pressure, though it may still be firm. Very ripe avocados feel soft even if no pressure is applied.

How to Store Avocados:

Avocados are often sold unripe and hard. In this case, you may need to ripen it over a period of three to six days. Keep it at room temperature until it becomes soft. If you want your avocado to ripen more quickly, try storing it in a brown paper bag. Putting other fruit in the bag can speed up the ripening processes further. Don’t store the avocado in the fridge. It will slow down the ripening.

When an avocado is already ripe, it should be stored in the refrigerator and used within a few days.

Never ever freeze avocados - it ruins their texture.

How to Cut Avocados:

Use a chef’s knife, eight to ten inches long. Insert the knife into the top dark area of the avocado (where the stem was). Gently press the knife down until it reaches the pit.

Hold the knife steady and rotate the avocado fruit around it, until the entire avocado has been cut in half.

Remove the knife and gently twist the two halves of the avocado until they separate.

Leaving the avocado in its shell, cut into the flesh with the knife, in horizontal and vertical rows. Be careful not to cut through the skin.

Remove the avocado meat gently, with a spoon.

You may squeeze lemon onto the avocado meat in order to prevent it from browning.

I hope these tips will be useful to you in selecting, storing, and preparing avocados.

Find further information on:

Low Calorie Recipes
Avocados
Vegetarian Recipes