There are many ways to ripen avocados. I’m just learning this because I’m staring at five delicious hard avos. So I really want to know – how do you ripen them?
Some people wrap them in newspaper, others put them in a dark cupboard and others just leave them and hope they will ripen to a beautiful silky texture.
Living in Durban with all-year access to avos this is a really question especially if you love guacamole and believe that a pizza or salad without avo are barren wastelands.
Avos don’t Ripen on the Tree
So I turned to the trusty Goggle and learned that Avocados don’t ripen on the tree; they ripen or “soften” after they have been harvested.
And the article I read recommend the brown paper bag method, together with a “friend” in this bag. “To speed up the avocado ripening process we recommend placing unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana for two to three days until they are ripe.” It has to do with plant hormone ethylene, which occurs naturally in fruits like apples and bananas, triggers the ripening process
Can you Ripen an Avo in the Microwave ?
OK, so the brown bag sounds like a good method but how about the microwave for instantly ripe and soft avos?
Livestrong.com says that you can place a rip[e avo in a microwave oven to soften it but they do declare that “Microwaving an avocado to soften it can diminish the flavor of the avocado”
Using your Oven and Tinfoil to Ripen the Avo
The Tinfoil method to Ripen an Avocado (In ten minutes or less)
Now this one had me interested. I love tinfoil. And the oven sounded a bit better than the microwave.
The start of the process is to get the avo into a warm environment so it can ripen faster. But Be warned it tastes a bit different.
YouTube user Bare Cupboard Basics suggests using your oven.
So what method do I prefer? Patience. Put the avos in a dark cupboard till they are soft and then enjoy.
