My Avocado Tricks

I love avocados. Guacamole reigns supreme… sliced avocado’s in a maki roll are the best… avocado on a salad (sigh) – heaven. For a long time I would pick up a few Haas Avocados and feel like I was taking a gamble – would they be brown and spotted on the inside when I cut them open or would they be pristine green. Then I learned that if I bought them rock hard and let them ripen up at home they were almost guaranteed to be perfect.

A lot of people avoid avocados because they contain high levels of fat, but that is a mistake. Avocados are high in fat, but it is the “good” kind that helps lower your LDL and raise your HDL levels. I’m not advocating going on an all avocado diet or anything, but if you find yourself avoiding them all together for health reasons, maybe you want to do a little more research and rethink that plan.

I started buying them in mesh bags from Trader Joe’s or from Costco and hanging up the bags on a hook in my kitchen until they were perfectly ripe. The only problem I had was that all four or six would be ripe at the same time and we would have to rush to get them all eaten up before they went downhill.

Then I learned something that has really changed my life: once avocados are ripe you can store them in the fridge where they will keep in their perfectly ripe state for a long long time. This new discovery blew me away. Now, I could have perfectly ripened avocados on hand all the time.

So to reiterate:

#1 – buy your Haas Avocados rock hard

#2 – hang them up in a mesh bag until they are ripe (I determine ripeness by pressing gently around the stem end – if it is soft and yielding the avocado is ripe)

#3 – once they are ripe, put them in the fridge and use them one at a time as needed for up to a week.


Jill’s Orange County Quick Guacamole
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My friend Jill taught me this quick and easy guacamole recipe. She always tasted her guacamole on a corn chip to judge if the seasoning was right – since the chip itself adds some salt I thought this was a sensible notion plus it made for some tasty snacking in the kitchen for the chef.

2 ripe Haas Avocados
your favorite salsa (I like Green Mountain mild, but give me a break I’m from New England)
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 a lime if you have it
chopped cilantro (optional)
finely sliced scallion (optional)

1. Peel 1 avocado and mash with a fork in a medium bowl.
2. Peel the 2nd avocado and cut into small cubes and add to mashed avocado.
3. Mix in 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa and lime juice (if using) until well combined.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and scallions if using.
Serve