How to ripen an avocado?
It is not very common to find ripe avocados in the market. They are usually tender and it will be our job to ripen them at home.
But who hasn’t had a bad experience ripening avocados? We wait several days for them to ripen, and when we check them, they are as hard as a rock or have rotted.
But don’t worry, there are some tricks that can help you ripen your avocado with ease and not be left with the desire to taste its flavor. Let’s learn how to ripen an avocado!
Avocado ripening process
The ripening process of avocados (and other fruits) occurs thanks to a hormone called ethylene. This hormone helps to change the texture, smell, color and taste of the fruit.
All the tricks we will mention below help to increase ethylene production. This in turn helps speed up the avocado ripening process.
Important: If you want your avocado to ripen, don’t keep it in the refrigerator. Cold decreases the production of ethylene and will delay ripening.
Now, let’s start with the tricks!
Trick 1: Ripen with newspape
This is one of the most classic tricks that almost everyone knows. Take the green avocado and a sheet of newspaper and wrap the avocado completely.
Then, store it in a box or in the oven, where the avocado will stay warm. The avocado can ripen in 1 to 3 days, depending on the ripeness of the avocado.
Newsprint helps the ripening process because of the temperature the avocado is in. The warmer it is, the higher the ethylene production, which favors ripening. Therefore, if you use more leaves to wrap the fruit, the higher the temperature will be, and therefore, the ripening process will be accelerated.
If you do not have newspaper, you can use another type of paper, such as kraft or brown paper. This is the best way to ripen avocado, since it preserves its flavor and texture.
Trick 2: Ripen with fruits that produce a high amount of ethylene
If you want to further accelerate the avocado ripening process, you can wrap them with fruits that have high ethylene gas production, such as apples or bananas.
This is a trick that not only can be used with avocados, but also with other fruits. And if you don’t want to wrap it, no problem. Just store them together in a fruit bowl and the same thing will happen.
Trick 3: Ripening with aluminum and heat
This and the next trick is in case you want that hard avocado to be ripe and soft in less than 10 minutes.
First, you are going to take the avocado and you are going to open some slits in the skin gently with a knife or small holes with a needle. Remember not to pierce beyond the skin.
Then, wrap the avocado tightly in aluminum foil and place it in the oven at 150ºC (or 300º F) for 10 minutes.
Remove the avocado and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the foil and open the avocado. You will see that it is soft and creamy. Cutting the skin and subjecting it to heat helps high ethylene production, which accelerates ripening.
The only problem with this trick is that the flavor of the avocado is modified, due to the fact that it cooks a little thanks to the heat of the oven.
Trick 4: Microwave ripening
This trick is practically the same as the previous one, but with some variations.
We make the slots or holes in the same way as in the previous step. But we will not be able to use aluminum foil, because this could damage our microwave. Instead, we will wrap the avocado in napkins. With this last step, we will prevent the avocado from exploding.
Place it in the microwave for 30 seconds. If it’s a little short, you can add 30 seconds more. Do not put too much time in the microwave, to prevent the avocado from overcooking or exploding in the process.
How to tell if the avocado is ripe
There are some signs that the avocado is ready to eat. Here are some of them.
The Stem
If avocados are ripe, the stem can be easily removed. However, when they are tender, it will be more difficult.
In case your avocado doesn’t have a stem, there is another way to know how ripe it is. In the place where the stem goes you will be able to see the color of the avocado. The ideal color is yellow, because it indicates that it is ripe. The greener it is, the more tender the fruit is. If it is brown, it has rotted.
Softness
Generally, softness is a good indication that the avocado is ripe. Ideally, you should be able to sink your finger a little into the bottom of the avocado, but without it losing its shape.
But be careful, too much softness could indicate over-ripeness or rottenness.
Shine
This does not always apply and will sometimes be difficult to distinguish. But greener avocados tend to be shinier, while those that are ripe have a duller color.
Skin texture
This is another sign that may not be present in all avocados and depends on experience. Typically, tender avocados are smoother while ripe avocados have a rougher texture.
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