The ultimate avocado guide: how to choose, prep & eat

How to choose the perfect avocado: the 2 infallible tricks

The first step to entering the world of avocado and how to eat it, is to learn how to choose the perfect fruit. In fact, as with other foods, avocados also have various stages of ripeness, which can make the fruit edible or not, or simply suitable for different preparations. Here are two foolproof tricks to understand how to choose avocado.

The Touch Test: The Ideal Texture to the Touch

A first method involves the use of touch to understand the degree of ripeness of the fruit. In particular, just apply light pressure of your thumb or index finger to the skin of the avocado. The stages of maturation are as follows:

• Hard skin: the avocado is unripe and must ripen for another 2-3 days out of the fridge;
• Slightly soft skin: avocado is ripe enough to be eaten and cut into slices or cubes;
• Very soft skin: if the hand mark remains where pressure has been applied, the avocado is very ripe and is more suitable for sauces or soft preparations;
• Skin with bruises or spots: The avocado may be overripe and not suitable for consumption.

Unlike the imported ones commonly available in the supermarket, the Sicilian organic avocados that can be purchased on our e-commerce are harvested on the same day of shipment. This is why they arrive unripe: as climacteric fruits, avocados continue to ripen after being harvested. To reach the right ripeness, it will take about 10-15 days in total.

The clue of the stalk: the secret to never making mistakes

Another clue to understanding the ripeness of avocado can be given by the petiole of the fruit. To have an avocado ripe at the right point for consumption, by removing the small petiole of the fruit, the color of the fruit must be bright green. In the event that the flesh is yellow, the fruit is not yet ripe enough, while if it is brown, the avocado may no longer be suitable for consumption.

In addition, when the stalk is very easy to remove, it could be another indication of a good degree of ripeness of the avocado.

How to clean and cut avocado without waste

Once you’ve found the perfect avocado, it’s time to clean and cut it. For the more experienced it is child’s play, but those who have never eaten avocado will surely be wondering how to clean it. In reality, it is a quick and easy procedure: here is a step-by-step explanation of how to proceed.

Cutting and opening in total safety

Although it may seem like a complicated process, cleaning and cutting an avocado is not difficult at all. In fact, just cut it vertically along the entire circumference. Clearly, care must be taken when cutting, but if the avocado has reached the right ripeness, it will not be necessary to apply any particular force.

Once the fruit has been cut, just take the two parts of the avocado and turn them in opposite directions to separate them. This is the same mechanism that is applied to fruit with a stone inside, as in the case of peach. In this way, you will easily obtain two halves of the fruit, with one that will house the avocado pit in the center.

How to extract all the pulp (the glass trick)

After opening the avocado and obtaining the two halves, it will be time to extract the pulp. In this regard, it is possible to use different techniques depending on the degree of ripeness of the avocado and the preparation to be made. First of all, however, it is necessary to remove the stone safely with your hands, through the use of a teaspoon or the sharp blow of a knife.

Once the pit has been removed, if the avocado still has a firmer consistency, you can cut it into slices or cubes and then remove the skin, using a potato peeler or knife. Another way to extract the pulp is by using a spoon or, thanks to the “glass trick”.

The latter case is more suitable for ripe avocados: just slide each half of the fruit on the edge of a glass, in order to peel it without any effort.

Avocados: how to eat it? Easy ideas to enjoy it at its best

One of the most common questions about this exotic fruit is how to eat avocado. Here are some ideas to understand how avocado is consumed.

Raw: the “litmus test” for a quality avocado

A first point to keep in mind is that avocado should always be eaten raw. In addition, to understand the taste of avocado and understand if the fruit is of quality, it is useful to season it with extra virgin olive oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime to avoid oxidation and experience the true flavor of pure avocado.

For breakfast: the iconic Avocado Toast

Avocado is a food suitable for any meal of the day, from breakfast to main meals. As for breakfast, one idea to use this fruit is to prepare the iconic avocado toast.

To make it, just coarsely crush the pulp of the fruit on the previously toasted bread and then add cherry tomatoes and an egg on top. For a more gourmet version, you can add slices of smoked salmon or fresh ricotta.

For lunch and dinner: in fresh salads and creamy sauces

As for lunch and dinner, a tasty idea is to cut the avocado into cubes to enrich salads, poke bowls, cold pasta or, if you have more time, to make homemade uramaki. Alternatively, especially when you have a more mature fruit, you can blend it to create sauces to use as a condiment for pasta or to accompany fish. Or again, to create healthy and nutritious smoothies or shakes.

Thanks to its healthy fats, avocado is a perfect and nutritious substitute for ingredients such as butter, cream or mayonnaise. By using it instead it is possible to obtain preparations with a similar consistency, but in a lighter version.
It is also an excellent wild card to enrich sweet and savory dishes without covering the main flavors. Suffice it to say that there are several dessert recipes that involve the use of avocado, especially combined with chocolate, such as a mousse, cheesecake or ice cream. Finally, you can also create a tasty and light appetizer or side dish such as guacamole or hummus.

Perfect pairings for Sicilian Avocado: the table at Km 0

But what are the perfect combinations for Sicilian Avocado with local products? Here is the Km 0 table to choose the most suitable pairings for your palate among the products originating in Sicily.

How to store avocado and prevent it from turning black

As with all fruit, avocados are also subject to oxidation. In this regard, once you understand how to eat avocado, it is important to know how to store it to prevent it from blackening.

The infallible remedies: lemon juice and olive oil

An infallible remedy is to use agents that block oxidation. To do this, you can use lemon juice or olive oil. Just brush the surface of the avocado with one of these two elements and store the fruit in the fridge for 2-4 days, depending on the degree of ripeness, without fear that it may blacken.

The myth of the hazelnut tree: does it really work?

A false myth that should be debunked is the one concerning the link between the stone and the ripening of the avocado. In fact, leaving the stone only partially helps to prevent the fruit from blackening. In fact, another useful method is to put the film in contact with the pulp to eliminate air and prevent the fruit from oxidizing.

A useful function that the pit can have is the proof of ripeness that can be done when the avocado is still closed. In fact, if shaking the intact fruit you feel the stone moving, it means that the avocado is overripe.

DonnaFina’s Organic Sicilian Avocado: why it’s different

Among our products there is also the Sicilian avocado: it is a quality product, grown in Sicily and certified organic. In particular, our avocado has a better flavor and texture than other products on the market, capable of making all the suggested recipes even better and tastier.

Our avocados are harvested on the same day as the shipment as they are climacteric fruits: this means that they only begin to ripen after being harvested. It takes about 10-15 days to reach the right ripeness. This process particularly differentiates them from other imported avocados commonly available in the supermarket.

Of fundamental importance as regards the taste and quality of our avocados are the Sicilian microclimate and the fertile soils of the island. In fact, these elements tend to give avocados a particular creaminess and flavor, with a less watery aftertaste than imported ones.

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