Avocados are a force to be reckoned with: they contain nearly twenty essential vitamins and minerals and add an extra dose of love to tons of dishes. I love grabbing a few every time I’m at the shops but I have to admit, they’re pretty fragile if you don’t take care of them properly! A lot of times they ripen too quickly, before I’ve had a chance to use them. For breakfast sometimes, I’ll eat a half, but still want to keep that precious second half green and fresh for next time.
There are a few tricks when it comes to storing and keeping avocados fresh for long as possible. Here’s the trick to preventing avocados from ripening too quickly.
Supplies:
- avocados
- airtight plastic container
- 1 white onion
- butcher knife
Instructions:
Step 1: You can leave your avocados whole for a few days before slicing them, but I chose to slice them from the get-go.
Step 2: Simply slice up the white onion and place a few pieces in the plastic container with the avocados. The onion helps slow down the ripening process and keeps the avocados fresher longer!
Step 3: Store them in the airtight container or covered with plastic wrap to be sure air stays out. Place them in your refrigerator, taking care to keep them away from other fruits that might threaten to speed up the ripening process.
The photo above was after three days. Though the avocado flesh was starting to pull away from the sides of the shell, the avocados were still firm and felt firm enough to serve in a salad and keep their shape.
After six days they were still going strong! The avocados were definitely starting to feel soft and ready to scoop out and use as guacamole. Their colour was still green, and the brown spots hadn’t changed that much.
At day seven, they started to turn. The browning was a little more prominent (though you can just scrape that off if you like!) and the flesh was really feeling soft. It didn’t feel too mushy, but I could squeeze the flesh out of the shell easily and serve it up on some toast or as some guacamole. I feel like at this point they had an extra day or two in them before they would go bad. I tasted a piece of one and the taste still felt fresh and not bitter at all.
I made sure to keep the pits in as well. That’s a proven help when it comes to storing your avocados and keeping them greener longer. Onions have such a strong smell, and you might be afraid that the onion will overpower and completely change the flavour of the avocado. The avocados still taste fresh, but by the end of a week have a hint of onion to them, so it’s best to use this storage solution on avocados that you plan on using in recipes with onions. Guacamole, anyone?
Unique ways to use your avocados:
