Whether you put them in your sandwiches, eat them raw, or use them to mix up a delicious bowl of guacamole, avocados are a staple in many people’s kitchen pantries. Yet, it can be surprisingly difficult to find a perfectly ripe avocado at the grocery store or farmer’s market.
Because ripe avocados only last for up to three days, many stores sell unripe avocados – which means that you’ll need to find a way to ripen them up yourself, if you hope to use them immediately. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to accomplish this, based on how unripe the fruit is.
If the avocado is not quite ripe and not hard, you can use plastic wrap and your microwave to ripen them up in two minutes flat. Cut the avocado in half vertically and remove the pit. Wrap each half in microwave-safe plastic wrap and microwave on high for two minutes.
When your avocado is cool enough to hold, run the wrapped fruit halves under cold water. This stops them from cooking, so you won’t end up with an overripe avocado. Once the fruit has cooled to your liking, proceed to use them as intended.
If your avocado is rock hard and nowhere near ripe enough to eat, you’ll need to rely upon your oven. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Without cutting into the fruit, wrap the avocado in aluminum foil, and bake on a sheet pan for ten minutes. Check for ripeness. If your avocado is very hard, this process could take up to an hour. Be sure to check every five minutes if 10 minutes in the oven doesn’t do the job. Once softened, leave the avocado in the fridge for a few minutes, until it’s cool enough to handle.
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