As useful fruits go, the avocado really stands out in the kitchen. You can eat it alone or incorporate it into a wide array of dishes. A good avocado needs to be perfectly ripe before consuming, but this is not always the case. Waiting for one to ripen is downright torture if you want it quickly. Worry not, however. We are going to show you how to ripen an avocado fast. And there are plenty of ways to do this.
How Can You Ripen an Avocado Quickly?
There are a few techniques you can use to turn your avocado from rock hard to soft and delicious.
1. Ripen an avocado fast by putting it in flour
This is probably the best way to get a ripe avocado with great taste and a creamy consistency. With this method, you put the unripe avocado in a paper bag with flour. Cover the avocado with flour and fold the top of the paper bag so it is sealed.
Leave the bag in a dry spot in your kitchen for two days. When you get it out, the avocado will be firm but slightly soft to the touch. Halve the fruit, and you will find a perfectly soft and ripe avocado with the natural tastiness you are looking for.
2. Put the avocado in a paper bag with some fruit
You are probably wondering how ripening an avocado is even possible with other fruit. Well, the answer lies in the biological factor that hastens to ripen – ethylene gas. Therefore, the fruit you pick to add to the paper bag alongside the avocado must produce plenty of this gas. The best fruit to choose for this includes apples, bananas, and tomatoes. When deciding on which fruit to use, keep in mind that a banana produces more gas whereas you can use an apple over and over again.
Place the unripe, uncut avocado in a paper bag and add the fruit you chose. Fold the top of the bag to seal it, and put it in a dry place at room temperature between 2-3 days.
The paper bag will trap all the ethylene gas produced by your fruit of choice. This makes the avocado ripen faster than usual because of the higher concentration of gas.
3. How to quickly ripen an avocado that has been cut, sliced, or mashed
Sometimes you will cut open an avocado and find that it is still a bit unripe. However, you want to enjoy that great flavor that is only possible from a ripe avocado, so what can you do?
Since the inside is already exposed, your avocado will start to oxidize, turn brown, and get too soft. To prevent this, spray the exposed avocado insides with fresh lemon or lime juice.
Next, re-align the two halves back together, wrap them in plastic, and place the now whole avocado in your refrigerator.
Keep checking the avocado, gently prodding it to see if it has become soft. Keep in mind how far along it was when you cut it, so you know approximately when it should ripen in the fridge.
Does Microwaving Really Work?
Many people do not have the patience to wait the two days the previous methods require, so they resort to microwaving the unripe avocado. Well, it's a total disaster! When you microwave an avocado, it becomes very mushy and gives off a really bad smell that will make you think twice about putting it in your mouth.
Tips to Pick the Right Avocado and Fully Enjoy It
1. Finding the right avocado
- The first thing that should catch your eye is the color of the avocado. Ripe ones tend to be dark in color, bordering on black. However, some types do not change color and remain green even when they are ripe.
- Check the stalk at the top of the avocado as well. If it comes off easily, the avocado is ripe or very nearly so. When the flesh beneath the stalk is bright green, the fruit is ripe.
- Brown-colored flesh indicates an overripe fruit. You should also see if there is mold around this area; the darker color of the flesh is usually an indicator that mold may be a problem.
- You can also gently squeeze or prod the fruit. A ripe one is soft to the touch but firm. If it's too soft, it is overripe. The hard ones are still unripe and will take longer to ripen.
2. Awesome ways to enjoy your avocado
Avocados are very versatile fruit. You can use them in any kind of food you can think of. Here a few ways you can enjoy them:
- You can add avocados to your salad. They bring a creamy and natural taste while filling you up at the same time.
- They are also great in soups. You can mash them and use to make the soup thicker, or you can just add chunks of avocado to provide a different texture in your soup.
- You can stuff avocado halves with anything and create a great meal. Some things to consider stuffing an avocado with include eggs, various vegetables, and finely diced meat such as bacon or chicken.
- If an avocado is overripe, don't throw it away. You can bake it in muffins to add a subtle avocado flavor.
- An avocado smoothie is also a great way to enjoy the fruit.
Summary
You might not always get an avocado that is ripe enough to eat right away. You do not have to worry about that now though, because you just learned how to ripen an avocado quickly.