We’ve already talked in our “How to chose a ripe avocado ?” article about what to do if you’ve purchased an unripe avocado. The best option is to leave the avocado for a few days at room temperature. But there are other, much quicker and just as effective ways to bring the fruit to “ripeness.
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How do you know when an avocado is ripe?
A ripe avocado usually has the following characteristics:
- It usually has a dark green or almost black rind color. However, some varieties remain bright green even after ripening. This is something to keep in mind.
- Not only is the rind dark green/black, but it also has a lumpy texture.
- Flesh underneath the rind is slightly pressed when squeezed in the palm of your hand. There is no indentation on the rind itself.
Ripening Avocados at Home
There are several ways to bring an avocado to “ripeness” if the fruit is unripe. The method for ripening depends on how quickly you want to eat the avocado.
- The slowest. Simply leave the fruit in the kitchen at room temperature. An avocado with a rich, bright green color will ripen for an average of 3 to 5 days.
- You can increase the ripening rate of unripe avocados by putting them in a brown paper (NOT plastic) bag and also leaving them in the kitchen at room temperature. Due to the ethylene that the avocado emits, the bag will provide the ideal conditions for the “alligator pear” to ripen. The process will take an average of 1 to 3 days.
- Repeat method #2, but double the amount of ethylene by putting a banana or apple along with the avocado. Or all together. The fruits of these fruits also give off gas that promotes ripening. In addition, we recommend making a few holes with a toothpick in the bag to allow the fruit inside to breathe. The process of ripening the avocado in this case will take 1-2 days.
- One of the quickest. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place the avocado in it, wrapped in foil. It is necessary to bake the fruit from 10 minutes. It all depends on its degree of hardness. We recommend checking that the avocado is “ready” every 5 minutes. After that, put it in the refrigerator to let it cool.
- The fastest. Cut the avocado in two, remove the pit and wrap it in clingfilm. Next, place the fruit in the microwave and cook at maximum power for two minutes. Then, without taking the avocado out of the foil, lower it into cold water to stop the cooking process.
How long does an avocado ripen for?
Typically, avocados take anywhere from 2-7 days to ripen, depending on the stage of ripeness when they were purchased and the storage conditions. However, some factors like temperature and humidity levels can affect the ripening process. If you need to ripen avocados faster, you can place them in a paper bag with an apple or banana, as the ethylene gas released by these fruits will speed up the ripening process.
