Waiting until the avocados you just bought are ripe to consume them can be a pain. However, there are some remedies that can be used to speed up the ripening process and eat the fruit beforehand.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Ripening a Whole Avocado
Step 1. Put the fruit in a paper bag
This way the ethylene produced by the avocado itself will be trapped. Make sure there are no holes!
The paper bag is a kind of trap. You can use other items that work in a similar way. Obviously it can also be a bag already used like that of bread. Your grandmother might tell you that you should put it in the flour bag, but you can make do with any other container
Step 2. Add a banana, apple or tomato
Banana is the best choice, but other fruits are fine too. If you have no other fruit but other avocados, put them all together.
This fruit will emit even more ethylene and the ripening process will be faster
Step 3. Store the bag at room temperature, closed
You can also place it in the sun between 18 and 24 ° C. If you only put the avocados it will take 2-5 days.
Step 4. Check the avocado regularly
Adding other fruits makes the process very fast and the avocado can ripen in 1-3 days; it will be ready when you can peel it easily. Feel the texture as it is difficult to make a judgment from the color.
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An unripe avocado is green and firm. When it is ripe, the peel turns purple or black (which is why it should be consumed in two days). When it is ready to be consumed it will be purplish-black.
When it is ripe, it should be kept in the fridge for a couple of days at the most because it gradually loses its taste
Part 2 of 3: Ripening a Sliced Avocado
Step 1. Sprinkle the fruit with lemon or lime juice
Exposed pulp is prone to turning black and moldy, and lemon juice avoids this process. In fact, you want the avocado to ripen and not rot.
Step 2. Cover the pulp with cling film
Re-assemble the avocado and wrap it completely in plastic. Keep it in the fridge.
If you don't have cling film, get an airtight sealable container
Step 3. Monitor the process
The time it takes depends only on how immature it is. Take it out of the fridge and check it; when it is soft and seems ready to eat, taste it. If it looks unripe, put it back in the plastic wrap and put it back in the fridge.
Part 3 of 3: Storing and Using an Avocado
Step 1. If the avocado is whole and unripe, leave it at room temperature
Do not put it in the refrigerator. It will not ripen in cold temperatures. You don't have to do absolutely anything (other than putting it on the kitchen counter) and after about 6 days the fruit will be ripe.
Step 2. If the avocado is chopped, sliced, or mashed, add some lemon juice
Even if you made guacamole, sprinkle it with lime, lemon, or even orange juice (but only when fresh). The acid in these juices will stop the oxidation process that makes the fruit black.
- If it starts to turn brown, don't throw it all away. Cut off only the affected part and use the rest before it spoils.
- If your avocado is not pulverized or chopped, but cut in half, you can avoid sprinkling it with lemon by simply placing it under running water, on the side of the cut, and then placing it in the refrigerator. It will look worse than with the lemon method, but it is just a layer of skin that helps keep the rest of the fruit fresh for longer. This thin layer of peel is easily removed and allows you to have a fresh avocado without extra flavor.
Step 3. If the situation gets worse, crush it and freeze it
If it becomes ripe before you can consume it, you can make a puree and freeze it. Do not freeze the whole fruit, otherwise it will ruin the flavor. You can then use the puree to create sauces.
Obviously the fruit should not be frozen, if possible; the best would be to eat it fresh
Step 4. Check the ripening process
In theory, you have had a couple of days to familiarize yourself with the fruit, so you are able to tell if it has reached the time to be consumed or not. Different levels of ripeness give different food products.
- If your avocado is just ripe, it will be less susceptible to heat and you can grill or bake it more easily.
- If it takes a while, you can slice it and add it to salads or sauces. Some pretty firm slices will look great on your plate!
- If you have a lot of ripe avocados, you can make them into a cream or sauce. Make a flan, ice cream, or cheesecake. That's a good excuse to experiment!
Advice
- Even the food or bread bag alone, without adding any other fruit, partially accelerates the ripening of your avocado.
- Alternatively, you can fill the bread bag with flour and put the avocado in it.
Warnings
- Storage in the refrigerator slows down the ripening process. Remember this in case you want to keep it for a long time, but avoid it if you want it to mature quickly.
- Don't put the avocado in the microwave. You can find some articles online that say otherwise (and you can actually microwave just about any food), but you will destroy the flavor.
