Ever peel back the skin of an avocado expecting verdant, tender deliciousness ― only to reveal rock-hard yellowish flesh or rotting brown slime?
I reckon it’s among the bottom three kitchen experiences (other pet peeves involve seeing those wispy egg whites when you poach eggs and planning a perfect lunch, only to realise your loaf has gone off).
While I have answers for those other two kitchen conundrums, though, it took until this morning for me to find out the two-second trick to see how ripe your avocado is – and no, it doesn’t involve pressing into or peeling the fruit.
How can you tell how ripe an avocado is?
According to avocado company Avogrey, the best way to gauge an avocado’s ripeness is surprisingly similar to how you can tell when blackberries are ready.
They shared that they’d never try to pinch the pears, which they say only bruises the flesh.
Instead, they say, the better method is to simply try to flick the produce’s stem off – yep, the woody nub that sits at the top of the fruit.
If it doesn’t come off easily, it’s unripe.
If it does, though, you can probe through the avocado with a toothpick, a bit like testing a cake with a skewer.
If your cocktail stick glides smoothly from stem hole to stone, you’ve got a good pear (literally) on your hands.
If it won’t budge, you’ll need to ripen the brunch staple for longer; if the toothpick sinks too quickly, it may be rotten.
Of course, you’ll be able to see the colour of the pear underneath the skin too. Sludgy brown contents should be a no-no.
How can I ripen avocados at home?
I don’t know about you, but my avocados always tend to be under- rather than over-ripe.
Per the BBC, though, that’s an easy problem to fix ― the Good Food site suggests placing the produce in a paper or cloth bag with a banana.
The yellow fruit will emit ripening ethylene, they say, helping to speed up your journey to perfect guac (apples will work too, but not as well).