Content
Avocado, also known as the alligator pear, is gradually becoming an integral part of European cuisine, and not only as part of gourmet cuisine. Amateur culinary experts have already appreciated the taste and benefits of this unusual fruit for a long time. However, the question of how to choose a ripe avocado in the store still arises from time to time. Therefore, connoisseurs of exotic foods will not be superfluous to understand some of the nuances.
How to choose the right avocado in the store
Often, when people come to the store, they strive to complete purchases faster, and therefore many products are chosen rashly, focusing mainly on the appearance of the goods. In the case of avocados, this tactic is absolutely inappropriate, since it is not always possible to determine by the color of the fruit peel whether it is ripe or not.
So, the color of a ripe alligator pear can vary, depending on the variety. There are several varieties of exotic fruit on the shelves of domestic stores:
- The California variety Hass is available all year round. It has a rough, dark, almost black skin and a mushy flesh that is ideal for making guacamole, pureed soups and green butter;
- In winter, the Florida Alligator Pear appears in the store. The surface of the fruit always remains green and smooth and takes on a deeper hue when the fruit is ripe. The flesh of the Florida avocado is juicy and dense: it should be chosen as an exotic ingredient for a salad or a side dish for meat dishes;
- Pinkerton is also available in the store throughout the year. It is easily recognizable by its dark green pimpled skin and a very small bone compared to other varieties. This avocado can be chosen for preparing almost any dish, including rolls.
How to determine the ripeness of an avocado
The color of the peel can still provide information about the ripeness of the avocado, if, in addition, you pay attention to other features inherent in the ripe fruit.
Choosing a mature alligator pear in the store, in addition to its color, will help:
- pulp consistency;
- fruit stalk;
- the sound that the bone makes.
You can increase the likelihood of choosing a ripe fruit if you pay attention not to one of the above signs, but to several at once.
How to tell if an avocado is ripe by skin color
As already mentioned, the color of an avocado alone does not guarantee that the fruit chosen when purchasing will be ripe. However, the color of the peel still contains a certain hint about the maturity of the fruit, as can be understood from the photo below.
- The light green color and very firm texture means that avocados take 4 to 5 days to mature.
- A darker skin tone with light green areas on the top of the fruit also indicates insufficient ripeness, requiring another 2 to 3 days to lie down.
- The uniform green color and elastic surface make it clear that the fruit is almost ripe and can be used for food after 1 day.
- The dark color of the skin and the soft surface from which dents quickly disappear indicate that the alligator pear is ready for use. During this period, it can be used to prepare various dishes.
- After a day, the even softer fruit can be eaten with a spoon or spread on sandwiches.
A very dark avocado skin can be a sign that the product has gone bad. At the same time, for varieties Hass and Royal black this shade is quite common and means sufficient maturity. Therefore, in order to choose an alligator pear in the store, it is worth relying on several methods for determining its maturity.
How to choose a ripe avocado for softness
Choosing a delicious avocado is possible, completely ignoring the color signs of the product. Buyers who don't want to go wrong with a variety determine if a product is ripe by relying on tactile sensations.
The fact is that the pulp of the fruit at different stages of maturity has a different consistency. If the store has such an opportunity, you should take an alligator pear in your hands and try to determine its ripeness by touch:
- Press on the surface with a finger, measuring the efforts.
- A hard avocado that doesn't dent is more likely to be unripe. The pulp of such a berry will be tasteless or bitter, so you should choose it only if the use can wait a few days.
- Overripe fruit, when pressed, retains the indentation from the finger, and its pulp creates a feeling of loose and lumpy. Choosing a product with such a texture will not be the best solution: the decay process has already begun in it, and you should not use it.
- The skin of a ripe alligator pear dents when pressed, but quickly regains its shape. It is best to opt for a fruit with such a texture, since it is he who will be most useful and tasty.
How to choose a ripe avocado by cut
A good indicator that an avocado is ripe is its stalk. In the store, you should pay close attention to it when it is difficult to determine maturity by the color of the skin or if the fruit feels too soft to the touch.
You can choose the most ripe avocado in the store if you tear off the stalk and examine the condition of the fruit under it, and then check the photo above.
- The dark brown color of the groove under the handle indicates that the product is overripe and not suitable for cooking.
- On the other hand, the light yellow hue of this area will be a sure sign that the fruit is optimally ripe and ready to eat.
How to pick a good avocado by sound
It is quite possible to choose an avocado in a supermarket by its bone. Of course, this does not require cutting the fruit and checking how it looks from the inside. This is the characteristic sound that a ripe alligator pear makes.
In an unripe fruit, the bone is not yet fully formed, and therefore it is very tightly attached to the pulp, and it takes some effort to tear it off.
A ripe product is characterized by the fact that in it the bone is independently detached from the pulp and is able to move in the cavity of the fruit.
In order to choose in the store by the sound of an avocado, you should shake the fruit over your ear. The presence of a knock will be a sign of good ripeness. If there is no sound, then such an alligator pear should be allowed to ripen for another 3 - 4 days.
Which avocado is not worth buying
It may seem that choosing the most ripe and delicious avocado in the store is not so easy and that it will take a certain amount of time.However, the selection procedure can be significantly accelerated if you first weed out all specimens that, for one reason or another, are not suitable for food:
- You should not buy very hard fruits of a light green hue in the store. Although the alligator pear tends to ripen for some time after being plucked from the tree, too dense foods have a low chance of doing so. They will not have time to reach the desired state before they start to deteriorate.
- Brown spots or dents on the surface indicate the beginning of decay. The quality of such a product leaves much to be desired, so it would be wise to choose another version of the alligator pear.
- It is advisable to give preference to fruits that are stored outside the refrigerator. The recommended temperature for storing avocados is between 2 and 12 ° C, since this exotic fruit is thermophilic. Lower rates will provoke fruit spoilage.
- It will be inappropriate to choose fruits with skin damage and scratches - they may become unusable already 10 - 12 hours after purchase in the store.
If you choose an avocado with all care, then the risk of spending money on a spoiled product will decrease significantly.
Conclusion
Choosing a ripe avocado in a store can be tricky at first glance. If you adhere to the basic recommendations when buying a product, then it will not be difficult to acquire a ripe and tasty fruit. A video on how to choose a ripe avocado in a store will help organize the information from the article and clearly demonstrate how to apply the information received in practice.
