Lindy Valdez
How should you store an avocado so that it lasts as long as possible and is not too firm or mushy when eaten? The best tips!
The avocado is still very popular with the Germans as a superfood. But as popular as the fruit is, the well-known “avocado problem” is just as widespread: the fruit, which seemed just as hard as a rock, is suddenly mushy or already spoiled; the perfect time to eat has been missed. This can be avoided with proper storage. What rules should be observed when storing avocados?
In general, if you don’t want to eat the avocado immediately, it’s best to buy an unripe fruit and let it ripen at home. Because otherwise there is a risk that it will already get bruises in the store or during transport, which will then turn brown.
Storing unripe avocados: The “apple trick”
As a rule, the still-firm avocado needs a few days to ripen. To shorten the ripening process, the “apple trick” has proven its worth:
Place the avocado in a paper bag along with an apple and store it at room temperature.
The trick here: the apple releases the “ripening gas” ethylene and thus infects the avocado with its ripening process, so to speak. The avocado is usually ready to eat in two to three days.
Should you store avocados in the fridge?
Unripe avocados should not be stored in the refrigerator.
On the one hand, this stops the fruit from ripening – so it takes longer until it is ready to be eaten. On the other hand, the taste and consistency of the unripe avocado change during cooling. It can then take on a slightly rubbery consistency and a bitter taste.
The situation is different with a ripe avocado – it should always be stored in the refrigerator and will keep there for about three days.
How do you store half an avocado?
If you only want to eat half of the avocado and save the other half, you should proceed as follows:
- Reserve half with the core
- Wrap the cut surface with cling film
- Store the avocado half in the refrigerator
The kernel is said to contain enzymes that contribute to the longer shelf life of the fruit. Above all, however, it covers the part underneath and protects this area from the reaction of the pulp with oxygen – so the avocado will not turn brown under the stone.
How long can you store avocados?
Depending on the degree of ripeness when you buy it, the avocado is ripe after up to four days; then it can be enjoyed for about three days – during this time it should be stored in the refrigerator.
