Useful Avocado Hacks Every Guacamole Lover Should Know

Sure, we have all eaten guacamole. But aside from Mexican food, have you ever eaten an avocado?  If not, you should try them!

Why are so many people giving you new and inventive ways to eat more avocado?  It’s because they are practically a superfood. They are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat (that’s the good kind), Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, folate, Vitamin K, Potassium, lutein, protein and fiber .  One cup of avocado has 10.5 grams of fiber.  For a breakdown of the nutrition by type see this article.

Avocados can be expensive so it’s important not to waste them by purchasing one that is no good or by not cutting them properly.  Below are our best hacks and tips for buying, ripening, cutting and serving avocado.

Avocado Hack – How to buy the best avocado

Avocados are actually a fruit, but they don’t ripen on the tree.  If you pick one up in your local grocery store, it could be hard as a rock.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Once fully ripe, they can last for a few days in the fridge so time your purchase based on when you will use them.  Avocados start out bright green. As they ripen, they turn dark and almost black, just like bananas.  Color is not the only sign of ripeness though. They also soften as they ripen.  You can bruise them if you poke them too hard.  It’s best to grip them gently.  For more tips about buying the perfect avocado watch this video.

There are both organic and non-organic options available at your grocery store.  Avocados are one foods that are relatively safe to buy non-organic.  They are one of the “clean fifteen” foods that tend to have only trace amounts of pesticides.  See this article for a list of the clean fifteen.

Avocado Hack – Ways to ripen an avocado faster

There are many tips out there about how to ripen them quickly.  Avocados release ethylene gas like bananas.  The method that will ripen an avocado in a few days is to enclose the avocado in a paper bag.

The shorter, ten minute method requires you to wrap the avocado completely in foil and put it in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Although some people suggest that ripening it this way doesn’t taste nearly as good.

Avocado Hack – Best ways to cut an avocado

Avocados have a large seed in the middle which can make them tricky to cut. They even have a term for a common injury at the emergency room at the hospital! They call it “Avocado Hand.”

There are two schools of thought on the best way to cut them.

Some say to slice them length-wise like this:

Others say to cut them around the widest part.  Both ways work.

The key is to get access to the seed and remove it without destroying the flesh around it.   Once you cut them in half it is easy to remove the seed by hitting it with the blade of your knife and twisting.  This article demonstrates cutting with both photos and a video.

Green Avocado Hacks – How to keep them from turning brown after cutting

Avocados after they are cut tend to start turning brown within minutes, it seems.  If you are serving them soon enough that you will keep them out of the refrigerator,  sprinkle lemon or lime juice over the top to keep them looking fresh.  It also helps to cover them with plastic and press out all of the air.

If you want to store them in the refrigerator after they have been cut, the best way to keep them green is to store them completely submerged in water.  If that sounds too difficult, cut up a slice of lemon or lime and rub it all over the flesh and seal the lemon inside a container with the avocado. Or you can put them in a sealed container with a slice of onion, which is also effective.

Avocado Eating Hacks – The best avocado recipes and serving tricks

There is no wrong way to eat an avocado.  The easiest way is to slice it up and sprinkle it with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Beyond this delicious treat there are hundreds of ways to serve them.  Here are our six favorite avocado recipes:

Avocado and Three Bean Salad – provided by Noble Pig.

Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing – provided by Gimme Delicious Food

Guacamole – provided by Fantabulosity

Lemony Avocado Toast with Arugula – provided by What Should I Make For..

Chicken Cucumber Avocado Salad – provided  by Cafe Delites

Healthy Tuna Stuffed Avocado – provided by The Stay At Home Chef

What are your favorite avocado recipes and hacks?

Let us know in the comments!