Wednesday,March.17.2010

How to Cut Avocados!

A few people have asked me ” How do I cut avocados and still keep them fresh for the entire day?”  First of all, I’ve seen many people cut avocados and everyone does it their own way from start to finish.  The difference between prepped avocados with longevity and avocados that brown quickly is, believe it or not, the person’s personality.  If you are a person with disregard for others things then most likely your avocados will come out looking swampy and pasty.  If you are a person with high regards of impressing others and you like to preserve the beauty of something’s essence, you’re prepped avocados will come out looking beautiful and flawless.



Handle with Care.

Avocados are very delicate foods.  You must handle them with care.  There is never a time where an avocado needs to be gripped firmly.  A firm grip can turn the outer surface of the avocado to a pasty substance.  Almost anything with a force harder than a nudge can bruise the avocado.

Preserve the Avocado

Once avocados are in your possession, depending whether ripened or not, what you do with them next has a big outcome to its outcome.  If its not ripened place in a safe container at room temperature until ripened.  If the avocados are ripened then place into a refrigerator and try to use it within a few days.

“Well how can you tell they are ripened?”

A ripened avocado has various looks, it could be green or darkish black.  The best way to tell if an avocado is ripened is by the feel.  By lightly gripping and avocado with your entire hand, feel for the outer surface.

Wait for it.

If its hard, its not ready.  If you decide to cut this one open you will result in having a hard time w/ the peel wanting to come off the skin.  You will have a hard time with the seed wanting to leave its core.  The skin of the avocado will be hard and you will have a hard time wanting to eat it.

Feels Just Right.

With a ripened avocado you should feel that the outer surface behind the peel is soft yet behind the surface is kinda firm.  As you lightly squeeze with your palm the peel should be able to lightly push back into the surface of the skin.  When you cut through this avocado, you will find that the peel comes right off with a firm grip at the finger tips and a light tug.  The seed comes right out w/ a strike of the knife and twist.  Texture is soft silky yet still firm enough to not be pasty.

Slow and Steady does not Win the Avocado Race.

Avocados are highly perishable foods.  Once after ripened they should be used within a few days.  Exposure of air and warm temperatures will speedup its expiration.  Touch this over ripened avocado and you will feel that the peel is no longer intact with the skin.  It feels like there’s room for air in between the peel and the surface of the skin.  Not only that but the surface of the skin feels really soft and you already when you cut it open it will be disaster.  Yes, blackened bruised and pasty.  Sometimes they’re savable, cut and dispose of the bruised parts.  If its black all over 50% or more, I won’t even bother trying to save it.  Even after saving an over ripened avocado, they tend to have pasty surfaces and will brown quicker.  Very messy.

Okay, Lets begin.

First pick out perfectly ripened avocados.  Cut about a centimeter off of the top where the vine use to be intact.  1-2cm is fine.  Too less and you’ll still be in the vine range behind the peel, too much and you dispose of perfectly good avocado.  Its a give or take situation.

Next, Place the knife atop of the skin push down until you touch the seed.  With your free hand, carefully twist the avocado in a forward circle as the knife cuts the avocado in half.  Place the knife down and twist each side of the avocado with both hands.

Once opened, continue holding the half with the seed or pit, pick up the knife with the other hand and strike down at the seed with light-medium force then twist sideways w/ the hand holding the avocado.  The seed should release from the core and be stuck to the knife.

Dispose of the seed.  If this does not work, remove the knife from the seed and strike harder perpendicular to your first strike to prevent the seed from breaking.  If that doesn’t work or if the seed breaks then place the knife on the skin until it touches the seed and twist around to cut the half into fourths.  Twist both sides and the seed should release.

Cut all of your avocados into fourths.  When finished, pinch the edge of each peel and tug in its opposite direction to remove the peel.  Using your free hand, placing the thumb behind the peel while tugging up will help guide the peel off easier.  Hold the forth piece  with the core facing your palm.  Carefully cut the fourth in half and then cut each of those halves into halves.  So you end up with 1/16 slices but keep them intact.  So your end result would look like a 1/4 that has 3 incisions (or 4 slices).

Plastic wrap and plate and place the avocados on top.  Plastic wrap over the plate of avocados to seal air from getting in.  Always close the plastic wrap when not in quick use.  Always refrigerate when not in use at all.

Enjoy your perfect avocados.