It often seems like avocados are rock hard one minute and rotten the next. It's incredibly frustrating and, thankfully, very avoidable! For our Avocado Recipes special issue, we put several methods for choosing a ripe avocado to the test, and this is the best one.
How to Pick a Ripe Avocado
Our food editors swear by this method, known as the stem test. To check an avocado for ripeness, peel back the small stem at the top of the avocado. If it lifts away easily and the flesh appears green underneath, the avocado should be at or near ideal ripeness and ready to devour. If the stem doesn’t lift off, it’s not yet ripe but can likely be used in the next couple of days. If the flesh under the stem is brown, the fruit is likely overripe or may have brown-spotted flesh.
Food Safety Tip: One in five avocado skins carry harmful bacteria, such as listeria or salmonella, according to the FDA. And while you don’t eat the avocado skin, when you slice through it, the knife can transport that bacteria to the flesh. So be sure to give your avocados a good rinse just before slicing
How to Ripen an Avocado at Home
If your produce section has only rock-hard avocados, harness an avocado’s natural ethylene gas to soften it faster. Ethylene is a chemical compound that starts the ripening process. Check them often to ensure they don't get too ripe!
- Place hard avocados in a paper bag and fold or roll down the top to close the bag to trap ethylene. The longer the avocados sit, the more ethylene gas they will release.
- On your countertop, place avocados near a banana, kiwi, Red Delicious apple, or Golden Delicious apple (those two apple varieties produce more ethylene than others). To speed the process even more, place your avocados and chosen fruit in a closed paper bag.
When to Use a Ripe Avocado
If you've got avocados already at home, here's how to know when they're ready to use. Give the avocado a gentle squeeze. If it yields, it is ready to be used right away and may even last up to 2 days when stored at room temperature. If it yields slightly, it will likely be ripe within 2 to 3 days. Firm avocados may take about 5 days to be ready for eating.
How to Store Avocados at Home
Store uncut avocados at room temperature on your countertop. If an avocado is soft and you need to halt the ripening process, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days. If you’ve cut into an avocado and need to store leftovers, brush or squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice over the flesh. The acid will help prevent oxidation or browning. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also freeze avocados.
The FDA does warn against a popular TikTok hack that prevents browning by submerging halved avocados in water and storing them in the refrigerator overnight. The FDA says this is unsafe due to residual pathogens (such as listeria monocytogenes and salmonella), which may grow and thrive in that specific environment and cause food poisoning.