How to store avocados at home so they don't spoil?

Avocado is an exotic vegetable that has gained popularity among adherents of proper nutrition and lovers of haute cuisine. Combined with the unique properties and abundance of microelements, the range of fruits on store shelves is growing. In an effort to buy more exotics at a good price, you have to wonder how to store avocados at home so that they do not spoil and how to extend the shelf life of the product.

4 At what temperature is it best to store avocados?

5 How to store cut avocado?

6 How to store peeled avocados?

7 How to store ripe avocados?

8 How to store avocados so that they ripen at home?

9 Avocado shelf life: table

10 How to extend the shelf life of avocados?

What factors affect the shelf life of avocados?

It is possible to determine how to properly store avocados by identifying the reasons that affect the freshness and storage time:

Temperature - avocados grow in warm, exotic countries, but high temperatures are not good for storage - the higher the degrees, the more moisture the vegetable evaporates, and the more opportunities for harmful bacteria to reproduce;
Humidity - the birthplace of the fruit is hot and dry countries (Chile, Mexico, Peru), so excess moisture instantly activates the work of bacteria that promote rotting;
Light - reducing the amount of light for a picked vegetable helps preserve the structure of vitamins and beneficial properties;
Air - if you cut an avocado in half, after some time the flesh will darken, oxidation will occur, like apple pulp, but it is not necessary to cut the fruit for it to begin to deteriorate from exposure to air.

The shelf life is also affected by the initial condition of the vegetable when purchased - an initially overripe fruit will not be stored for even a day, and after a couple of days it will darken inside, then outside. Before purchasing, read how to choose the right avocado for storage.

Useful properties of avocado

The tender pulp of the “alligator pear” is loved by many Russians not only for its pleasant taste, but also for its beneficial qualities. The pulp contains vitamins, microelements, proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats and fiber. Positive effects on the body:

normalization of the gastrointestinal tract;
restoration of the body's metabolic processes;
memory improvement;
reducing cholesterol levels;
promotes the growth of muscle tissue;
your mood improves and your irritability goes away.

Information! Avocado is the most high-calorie fruit (212 kcal per 100 g), and is superior in nutritional value to meat and eggs.

Where to store avocados at home?

Where to store avocados? Several options come to mind: refrigerator, kitchen cabinet, just leave it on the table. The storage location is determined by the level of maturity and variety of the fruit.

Before choosing a storage method, determine the level of fruit ripening:

Press on the surface - a ripe avocado will eliminate the dent and elastically return the surface to its original shape;
Consider the place under the stalk - the ideal color of a tasty vegetable is greenish, while white and yellow indicate an unripe fruit, and brown indicates an overripe one;
Look at the skin - it has different shades of green, but the general rule for everyone is that it should have a uniform color, without brown spots or blotches.

Can avocados be stored in the refrigerator?

A purchased ripe fruit will delight lovers of its unusual texture for as long as the avocado is stored in the refrigerator - 3-5 days. To extend the period, first place the vegetable in a bag that does not allow the gas emitted by other vegetables and fruits to pass through.

Use refrigerated storage for mature specimens. If hard fruit is placed in cold temperatures, ripening will be slowed down or will not occur.

Can avocados be frozen for storage?

Storing in the freezer will answer the question of how to store overripe avocados at home in an apartment.

If the fruit is about to spoil or has already begun to brown inside, place it in a sub-zero temperature zone. First, wash the fruit thoroughly, remove the pit, cut it in half, remove the intact flesh from the “boat,” then cut it into pieces or mash it.

This avocado can easily be used in smoothies with celery and spinach, smoothie bowls for breakfast, or the famous snack for nachos - guacamole (add chopped ripe tomato, salt, lemon or lime juice, chili to the puree - you get a simplified Mexican snack).

It is possible to preserve the whole fruit: remove the pit, brush the surface with sour juice to prevent it from darkening, wrap it in cling film and put it in the freezer.

Storage for up to six months (ripe - 3-4 months, unripe 5-6).

Can avocados be stored in a cupboard?

Storage in a closet - suitable for “green” specimens.

How to keep avocados in the cupboard longer while achieving full ripening:

Wash and dry the vegetable;
Put it in a craft bag;
If you want to achieve faster ripening, add a banana to the bag, which releases ethylene, which promotes ripening.
If you prefer natural ripening, skip the banana idea and isolate the fruit stored in a drawer.

Do not forget to regularly check readiness, since vegetables ripen within 1-2 days, the time is determined individually and is justified by several factors.

Determining the ripeness of an avocado

You can determine the ripeness of an avocado in the store. You don't need any special gadgets for this. Several methods can be used to determine maturity:

Inspection. A high-quality product has a rich peel color, there are no damages, etc.
Pressure. If you press lightly on the peel of the fruit, squeezing it in your palm, you can determine the degree of ripeness. If there are no dents left, it is not yet ripe. The appearance and subsequent disappearance of a pit on the surface of the fruit indicates that the fruit can be consumed today. If the dent does not disappear, the fruit is overripe. You can take an avocado, but it is advisable to consume it today. These fruits are often used to make puree and paste for sandwiches because their consistency is too soft. Various ingredients are added to mashed avocado to create a delicious paste.
By the sound of the bone. If you lightly shake a ripe fruit, you will hear a slight cracking sound (this is the bone that separates from the wings and taps when shaken). If there is no sound, then the avocado has not yet reached the desired stage of maturity. But you can buy such a product if you have time to wait for it to ripen at home. However, this method is not suitable for all varieties of avocados. Some varieties have very thick skin, so it will be difficult to hear anything;
Inspection of the place where the stalk is attached. If there is still a stalk on the fruit, carefully remove it and carefully inspect the attachment site. If the area underneath is yellowish or light brown, the fruit is ripe; if it is light green, it is still unripe; if it is dark, it is overripe.

At home, you can already determine the degree of maturity using other criteria:

taste. The unripe fruit may taste a little like pumpkin;
removing the peel. The riper the fruit, the easier it is to peel. Ripe avocados can be peeled by hand without using a knife or other kitchen utensils;
removal of the bone. The pit of a ripe fruit is easily removed, but that of an unripe fruit is much more difficult;
color and structure. A ripe avocado is characterized by yellow-green flesh and an oily texture.

Based on the condition of the fetus, it is approximately clear how long an avocado can be stored.

How to store cut avocado?

When the vegetable turns out to be large and is not useful for use, but throwing away an expensive product is wasteful, questions arise about how to store a cut avocado in the refrigerator and how to store half an avocado so that it does not darken.

The main opponent of darkening of avocado pulp is acid. Lemon or lime. It protects the surface from contact with air and oxidation. Orange juice and even vinegar are suitable for these purposes, but they change the taste of the fruit, so use lemon:

Rinse and dry the casing thoroughly;
Cut in half or into quarters, removing the pit;
Gently brush the surface with lemon extract using a brush;
Assemble parts into whole avocado;
Wrap the vegetable in film.

Now put it in the refrigerator and store for up to two days.

Freezing

Avocados are not always easy to find in stores. To use it in cooking, you can resort to freezing the fruit. This way it will lose some of its properties and aroma, but the main taste will still remain.

There are two ways to freeze avocados:

1	Overall	More details
2	In purified form	More details

Overall

In this case, you just need to rinse the avocado thoroughly, pack it in cellophane or sealed vacuum bags and put it in the freezer.

In purified form

Then you need to peel the avocado, remove the pit, and then cut or puree it, transferring the delicacy into a plastic container. To preserve the color, you can add a few drops of lemon juice to the puree. After this, it is put into the freezer.

Even in the most airtight packaging, avocados should be stored in a compartment with vegetables, berries, dough and other products that do not smell strongly, since the fruit is quickly saturated with surrounding odors.

When frozen, the fruit can be stored for up to 5-6 months, regardless of its type. If you wish, you can remove the frozen fruit at any time and leave it at room temperature for several hours and then use it for cooking.

If you have frozen a whole avocado and need to cut it to prepare a dish, it is recommended to do this before the fruit is completely defrosted, otherwise it will then become too soft and pliable, which will cause it to begin to wrinkle, choke, and you will not be able to cut it as needed.

How to store ripe avocado?

Ripe avocados can be easily stored in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on the degree of ripeness and the length of time for which the fruit needs to be stored before use:

If you want to preserve the shape for making avocado toast or salads for the next 2-3 days, use refrigerator storage;
If you plan to make a sauce or smoothie in the next six months, choose chopped storage in the freezer.

In the case of a refrigerator, take into account the tips with film and sour juice.

How to help ripen

Unripe exotic fruit has hard, tasteless flesh with a bitter and tart note. Reminds me of a pumpkin or pear.

If the purchased fruits are exactly like this, it is useful to know how to speed up the ripening of avocados at home. You can ripen an avocado in different ways – quickly and slowly.

Warming up in the oven

The oven allows you to get ripe fruit faster:

The fruits are washed and dried.
Wrap in cooking foil (each separately) and place on a baking sheet.
The oven is heated to 190-200°C and turned off.
The baking tray with exotics is placed in the switched off oven and closed.
After 9-11 minutes they pull out.

The cooled fruits are unwrapped, peeled, and pitted. Then proceed as usual. A gas or electric oven is suitable.

High-speed in the microwave

The fastest way to ripen an avocado is in the microwave:

The fruit is washed and dried.
Prick with a knife in several places to the bone. This is necessary so that, due to the whole peel, the heated pulp, which has increased in volume, does not burst. You can peel it and cut it into pieces.
Place in a sealable microwave-safe container.
Warm up under the lid at maximum mode for 30 seconds. For “stone” specimens, the timer is set for a minute, that is, twice as long.
Remove, cool, and peel.

You need to realize that this method for fruit is the same as shock therapy for a person. The whole fruit will change its taste and aroma, and lose some beneficial properties. Sliced will lose a lot of juice.

Fruits ripened in this way are suitable as ingredients for dishes, but not as an independent delicacy.

If you want to experience the natural taste of avocado, do not use heat treatment (microwave or oven) to ripen the fruit.

In a paper bag

If fruits are not needed urgently, it is better to ripen them in a gentle way - in a paper bag.

Here's how to store an avocado so that it ripens:

An opaque paper bag is filled with fruits and avocados.
Close tightly so that light or sun does not penetrate.
Storage temperature +18-23°C. A refrigerator or cool cellar is prohibited.
After two or three days, check the condition of the avocado to ensure it is not overripe.

Any fruit will help as neighbors in the package: apples, pears, but the ideal companion is a banana. He and avocado are closest relatives. A prerequisite is that the fruits need to be ripe. Unripe ones do more harm than good.

If there are no other fruits, the following solutions are possible:

the bag of avocado is covered with flour; it should ripen in two to three days;
in a bag it can ripen on its own, but after five to six days.

The “batch” method is based on the fact that ripe fruit releases ethylene. This gas helps other exotic fruits, including avocados, ripen faster. A tightly sealed bag holds it in place, promoting ripening.

The method is not fast, but it allows you to ripen the avocado while maintaining its beneficial properties, taste and aroma.

In the newspaper

If you don't have a paper bag, newspaper or opaque paper will do. Each fruit is wrapped and placed in a box. It is placed under a radiator, on a kitchen cabinet, in a heated oven that is turned off, or in another warm place. After two or three days, the fruits need to be checked: they may ripen.

With any method of ripening indoors, the humidity should not be excessive. Otherwise, the fruit will begin to rot. The ideal place is a darkened mezzanine shelf.

Make alligator pear ripe in foil

Foil is used in different ways.

If the fruit needs to ripen today, use the oven (gas or electric):

Turn on the oven to heat up to 200-210°C.
Each exotic is wrapped in two layers of foil so that there are no uncovered areas left.
The fruits are loaded into a hot oven that is turned off (!).
After 9-11 minutes, take it out.
Cooled fruits are peeled.

This method, like any heat treatment, changes the taste of the avocado. If there is nowhere to rush, the avocado is wrapped in foil and left to ripen in the dark at room temperature for two to three days. All properties will be preserved.

Using boiling water

A quick way to ripen and soften an avocado is to pour boiling water over it:

peel the skin;
cut out the bone;
cut the pulp into slices or other pieces;
Place in a sieve or colander and place in boiling water for one and a half to two minutes.

The cooled pulp is used as an ingredient for other dishes.

Cut

If the cut fruit turns out to be green, it can be easily ripened in the refrigerator. But you need to act quickly before the flesh darkens:

Sprinkle the cut halves with lemon or lime juice: this helps preserve the natural color of the pulp.
Connect the halves, leaving the pit.
Wrap the fruit in cling film (a new plastic bag will also work).
You can additionally place it in a plastic container with a lid.
Send to the fruit compartment for ripening.

The temperature is required not lower than +5°C, otherwise the ripening process will not start. Periodically you need to check the condition of the fruit by pressing on the peel. If a dent appears, it’s ready. It usually takes a couple of days to soften the pulp.

Leaving chopped avocado to ripen at room temperature is useless - spoilage will begin faster.

How to store an avocado so that it ripens at home?

If you purchase an unripe fruit, another question arises: where to store the avocado so that it ripens faster?

Try one of the common storage methods:

In a dark place in a closet;
Wrapped in a package.

Storing avocados in foil won't be particularly effective, but if you want a ripe, soft avocado within thirty minutes, try baking it in the oven.

In all cases, careful monitoring is necessary so as not to miss the moment of the required degree of maturity.

Which fruits should you choose?

Fully ripe fruit should be purchased if you plan to consume it within the next few days. The degree of maturity is determined by the structure. When pressing on the fruit, a small dimple should remain on its surface.

The unripe fruit has a bright green, rather hard peel. It itself is hard to the touch, and its taste is slightly reminiscent of unripe pumpkin. Peeling such an avocado and getting the pit out of it is quite difficult.
The peel of a ripe fruit has a dark green, uniform color. With the exception of the Hass variety, which is considered the largest and turns black when fully ripe.
The flesh of a ripe avocado has a yellow-green color and an oily texture, and the pit is easily separated from it when cut.
The skin of a ripe fruit can be easily removed by hand, and the taste of a ripe avocado cannot be bitter.

It is best to buy fruits intended for storage when their skins are still bright green. When it is dark, the fruit should be consumed within a short time.

How to extend the shelf life of avocados?

How to preserve avocados for a long time:

Do not choose overripe fruit that was ready for consumption yesterday; its shelf life tends to zero even in the freezer;
Observe storage conditions that exclude contact with gases and light;
Store the cut avocado in the refrigerator or freezer, following the conditions for processing with citric acid and cling film.

Using these tips, it’s easy to understand how to store avocados at home so that they don’t spoil, while enjoying an exotic fruit rich in vitamins all year round.

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Consequences of improper storage

Improper storage of avocados can lead to spoilage of the fruit. This product should be discarded immediately. Eating low-quality avocados can lead to serious poisoning. It is especially dangerous to use spoiled or very overripe pulp for baby food.

Signs of a low-quality product:

surface too soft;
brown spots on the skin;
the peel is slippery to the touch;
the fruit has an unpleasant odor.

Nuances of choice

Avocado is a whole species, numbering more than 4 hundred varieties, but on the shelves of stores and supermarkets in Russia you can find only 3 common names:

Californian. Belongs to the Guatemalan group. Its peel has a rich green, almost black tint with a noticeable purple tint. The pulp has a delicate texture and is soft. It is spread on toast bread instead of butter and used to create desserts and milkshakes. Its taste goes well in combination with mushrooms and seafood.
Pinkerton. The most versatile variety available in stores. Used to create vegetable pates, soups, desserts and smoothies. Vegetarians use it as a worthy replacement for meat, because it contains a maximum of useful substances.
Florida. The fruits have a shiny, bright green skin. The pulp is fresh, weak in taste and watery. Most often used to create vegetable salads and other low-calorie but healthy dishes.

You need to understand that assessing the degree of ripeness of a fruit by appearance is quite difficult, because the price tag in a store rarely indicates which variety they sell. For example, a Californian fruit is considered unripe if its surface is green, while a Florida and Pinkerton fruit with such external characteristics can be completely ripe.

Attention! You should not buy overripe fruits; most likely they have already begun to deteriorate from the inside. Excessive peel pulp indicates the beginning of rotting processes. It is better to choose a slightly unripe product, but it will not differ in taste, and if you have time, its ripening can be accelerated at home.

The list of basic rules, the observance of which ensures the choice of a quality product, includes:

the surface of the peel is shiny;
the fruit is elastic;
no foreign smell;
absence of dark spots, cracks and other damage;
when palpated, it is homogeneous.

Damaged fruits should not be purchased. Avocado pulp is a favorable environment for the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, therefore, after damage to the peel under unsterile conditions, the fruit becomes dangerous and can cause food poisoning.

Remember! Avocado leaves, fruit peel and pit contain the fungicidal toxin persin, which is dangerous to both animals and humans. Persin is an oil-soluble compound structurally similar to a fatty acid. In humans, persin can cause an individual allergic reaction and deterioration of the digestive system, and for birds, rabbits, horses, cattle, goats (especially if they eat the bone or peel of the fruit), it is often fatal (leads to the accumulation of fluid in the body, causing edema, depressing cardiac activity and respiration) [11] ... Wikipedia