Where I live, far from avocado country, it’s not unusual for organic avocados to be $2.50 or $3 each.
“Oh, waaah, you big crybaby,” locavore purists might argue, “avocados are expensive because you live in Seattle, so stop buying non-local food!”
To which I reply: “The zombies can have my guacamole when they pry it from my salt-covered, tortilla chip-holding fingers.”
In any event, if you are paying $3 for a single avocado, you want that avocado to be freaking perfect: soft but not bruised, fully ripe but not rotten.
But I suspect many avocado lovers have experienced, as I have, the disappointment of slicing into their avo only to find brown streaks or dark, rotten bruising on the inside.
Gross.
Here’s how to make sure that never happens again.
Before you commit to a specific avocado, look for all the external signs of ripe-but-not-rotten. With a Hass avocado (the variety we tend to get on the West coast), the skin should be very dark green-to-black and bumpy. The fruit should feel heavy and firm, with no obvious smooshy parts or flat areas.
Now here’s the trick. Once you’ve got a good candidate, take a sneak-peak at what’s inside. Discreetly flick the dry stem off the fruit.
If you see a brown patch under the stem, put that avocado back. It will be gross inside.
Like this:
But, if the fruit right under the stem is bright avocado yellow-green, you have a winner. Your avocado will be great.
Like this:
This technique has never failed me.
Haas avocados purchased hard and green will ripen nicely on the counter over several days. However, once your avocado hits that black-skinned stage, don’t delay in enjoying it. The difference between a soft and creamy avocado and a brown-streaked, half-rotten one is only a few days on the counter.
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Mo fucka, put that shit down!
Hi, I am Irma. Avocado lovers and almost frustrated on picking up a good one. Here, in Indonesia, Bogor city where I life there is huge avocado we named Butter Avocado. I always want to have this good ones on my kitchen anytime I want. But if you getting avocado here, in Indonesia most of the stem is taken off. I dont know why they (the store/farmer) did this, but it’s hard for me to follow your tips as I notice that the stem leftover is turn brown on all avocados. I have someone advice me that to pick ripe avocado is by shake it, and if I feel the little sound from seed inside it’s ripe. But, it’s not working. So back to choose one by feeling. This morning I opened one avo that I bought by feeling yesterday… it’s raw inside. Hiks
great advice, thanks!
My body needs high calorie foods because I keep losing too much weight & Avocados are at the top of the list! Living in Portland is probably as bad as living in Seattle except we’re a few miles closer to the sunny California avocado’s that grow so perfectly down there so our sale prices are a little better for us. But I still cry when it’s not on sale & yet it seems that what they pay for one on sale is the our regular price.
I’m disabled & have limited funds to spend on food so I myself still cry when I cut one open & have to throw away a disgusting black avo!
ThankX so much for sharing this with us!
Genius!!!
If you flick out that button you will change the way the fruit ripens. If it isn’t ripe yet, you’re just as likely to cause the fruit to develop stem end rots. I would suggest if you are going to do this that you make sure you buy anything that isn’t bad as it wouldn’t be fair to subsequent buyers or the shop whose fruit you just damaged.
To identify a ready to eat avocado it should be purple black. If it’s black it’s too ripe.
Great tip! Thanks alot!
I have never had a bad experience with an avo as they usually sold premature here
Was just checking some and your tip worked 100%
Thanks 😀