Knowing pick the right avocado can ensure that you never end up with a bad one.
Avocados are a tropical fruit often with rough green skin and a shape similar to a grenade. Inside you will find smooth, creamy green flesh with a very large pit at the center. In the U.S. market there are eight main types of avocado: hass, fuerte, reed, booth, lula, taylor, bacon and zutano. Knowing pick an avocado which has not gone bad and is ready to eat is an essential skill for produce shoppers.
Instructions
1. Look for an avocado with clean skin. Bumps, bruises, cuts and lesions can all be signs that an avocado is at least partially rotted or has been damaged on the way to market. As a rule the darker the skin, the more ripe the fruit although with the many types of avocado available this is not always the case. Always try to pick an avocado with the stem still attached. The stem can prevent rotting at the top of the fruit and can indicate freshness if you are able to remove it with ease.
2. Pick up the avocado and test its firmness by squeezing it between your thumb and palm. The avocado is not yet ripe if it is very hard to the touch and will not give at all. If there is a bit of give but overall firmness the avocado is nearly ripe and can be purchased for eating within the following few days. If the avocado yields to pressure but does not dent or feel liquid it is perfect for eating now. If the avocado feels mushy or soft it is overripe and should be avoided.
3. Purchase overly firm avocados if you wish to be sure of freshness and do not plan to eat them immediately. Store unripened avocados in a brown paper bag for a period of 2 to 5 days or until ripe. Avocados will ripen most efficiently at room temperature. If you wish your avocados to last a bit longer, place them in the refrigerator where the cold temperatures will slow the ripening process.
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