Loved by many, avocado is a delicious, nutritious and versatile fruit. However, knowing the right time to eat them can sometimes be difficult. In addition to the bad effects on health due to consuming stale food, avocados that are too ripe also taste bad even though they may still be safe to eat. By knowing what to pay attention to and how to store avocados properly, you will avoid such disappointments.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Checking Avocado
Step 1. Observe the outer skin of the avocado
If you see mold or a rancid smell, the avocado is unsafe to eat and should be thrown away. If there are large dents, severe scratches, or dented parts, the avocado is likely bad.
Step 2. Check the color
Different varieties of avocado have different skin tones. The most common avocado variety, the hass, will turn dark green or purple when ripe. If it is jet black, it means that the avocado has reached the peak of ripeness.
Other avocados that are widely available in the market, such as bacon, fuerte, gwen, pinkerton, reed, and zutano will remain green even when ripe
Step 3. Hold the avocado and press gently
Don't let your fingers damage the fruit. Ripe avocados will dent slightly when gently pressed. If even a little pressure makes the avocado tear and shrivel, this is a sign that the avocado is rotten.
Step 4. Look at the avocado stalk to check for doneness
Some people recommend checking the softness of the avocado by pressing or removing the avocado stalk. If the stalk is easy to move, it means the avocado is ripe. After the stalk is removed and the color of the fruit flesh will also be visible. This method may be effective for assessing the softness of avocados, but it is not suitable for assessing color. For a precise indication that the quality of the flesh is good, you'll need to look at a larger surface area.
If you're inspecting an avocado you're about to buy, don't damage the fruit this way. Opening the fruit stalk can damage the quality of the avocado for other potential buyers
Step 5. Slice the avocado
If you already have an avocado, this is the quickest way to determine if the filling is bad. Flesh should be light green. If it's black or brown, don't eat it! If there are slight blemishes in the form of separate small brown areas, the remaining good avocado flesh can still be eaten.
Step 6. Taste the avocado
If you've checked the flesh thoroughly, but aren't sure if the avocado is bad, taste it a little first. Do not take the brown part, try the green flesh. The avocado taste should be creamy, soft, and slightly sweet. If it tastes or smells of urine or is strange, it means the avocado is rotten.
Method 2 of 2: Keeping Avocado Fresh
Step 1. Avoid overripe avocados by proper storage
If the avocado has reached optimal ripeness but isn't ready to eat yet, store it in the refrigerator. Ripe avocados that have not been split can last up to 3-4 days at room temperature or 7-10 days in the refrigerator.
Step 2. Store the chopped avocado to retain its freshness
To store sliced avocado, cover tightly with plastic wrap and/or store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. To keep the color light green as long as possible, sprinkle a thin layer of lemon juice on the surface of the sliced fruit. A little bit of acid will help stop oxidation and prevent the flesh from turning brown quickly.
Once the flesh of the fruit is oxidized, it does not mean that the avocado is inedible. Take a spoon or other utensil and gently scrape the brown surface. The flesh underneath will be light green in color
Step 3. Freeze the avocado so it doesn't go to waste
To make the avocado last longer, mash the flesh with lemon juice and put it in a closed container. This mashed avocado can last up to 4 months in the freezer.
