If you live in California, avocados are not just a fruit—they’re a way of life.
Even for those who don’t live in the Golden State, these green little guys are hugely popular and taste amazing whether it’s sliced up on toast or mashed into guacamole. Still, there are two problems that come with avocados.
One: they’re only truly, perfectly ripe for like two seconds.
Two: nobody knows how to tell when they’re perfectly ripe.
Fortunately, there are a few useful tips to help you pick the perfect avocado.
Because avocados don’t ripen on the tree, they need a little time to come into their own after they’ve been harvested. Throughout that process they end up changing colors, which leads us to…
Step 1: Pick the right color.
Though we typically associate avocados with the color green, the truth is that the green skin on an avocado is a sign that it’s not ready to eat yet. The longer these fruits sit around, the darker the outside becomes. Typically, a good avocado will have a much darker skin—one with an almost purple or black color. Still, you’re not done yet.
Step 2: Test the avocado with light pressure.
The color is not the only thing to look for. After all, a really dark avocado is sometimes a mushy avocado—and you can’t have brown mushy slices on top of those Baja fish tacos you took the time to bread and fry up. The next step is to take the avocado in the palm of your hand ever so gently and give it a light squeeze. If it gives to pressure just a little, you’ll know it’s ready. Too firm or too soft and you’ll have to put that bad boy right back.
Step 3: Don’t poke it—gently squeeze only.
Though it’s tempting to press with the point of your finger to test avocados, don’t do it! This is a rookie mistake. Any direct pressure like that will bruise the inside of the fruit and essentially ruin the entire avocado experience.
Just to hit this home: gentle and even pressure only!
Step 4: Take those babies home.
Once you’ve found the right avocados, don’t let them get away. Take them home and get ready to get busy in the kitchen.
Now that you can make your toast at home, you’ll be free to put all that money you’ll save on trendy brunches to good use in an IRA or a down payment on a house! No need to thank us—if you need anything else, we’ll be here sipping our perfectly ripened avoberry smoothies.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
