It
is dark green on the outside, light green on the inside, when ripe and
good to eat it has a smooth, creamy texture, and there are many who
consider it a royal delicacy - yes, you’re not mistaken, this is of
course avocado. This favorite fruit (yes, fruit!) originated in South
America, but today is grown and sold all over the world. Here are 11
tips, tricks, and advice on how to use avocados to help you understand
how you can quickly ripen it, check it for ripeness, and how to combine
the avocados in your meals easily, conveniently and aesthetically.
1. To help it ripen, pack the avocado in a paper bag with a banana or an apple
If
you bought a fresh avocado that is not yet ripe enough to eat, there is
a simple solution that can help you quicken its ripening. Just place
the avocado into a paper bag along with a banana or an apple, and wait a
few days; Both of these fruits release a gas which helps the avocado
ripen faster, and the bag itself helps in gas absorption and speeds up
the process.
2. Remove the avocado stem to check its ripeness
The
stem at the top of the avocado can be gently pulled out to examine the
color of the avocado from the inside; If the color you see is yellow or
green it indicates that your avocado is ripe and ready to eat, but if
the inner color is brown, it means that the fruit is no longer edible
and should be thrown out.
3. Wash your avocado before peeling it
There
may be those who will find this bit strange or unnecessary - why wash a
fruit before removing its peel which I’m not even going to eat? But
know that this is a very important step, that if you skip you risk
putting various harmful substances in your body through the avocado. The
avocado peel is indeed hard and impenetrable, however, the bumps on it
can provide fertile ground for the development of parasites and
bacteria. If you don’t wash it before peeling, you may transfer these
parasites to the fruit itself through the knife. Therefore, make sure
that before you remove the avocado peel, you rinse it thoroughly with a
bit of cold or lukewarm water.
4. Cut your avocado widthwise rather than lengthwise
Many
people cut their avocados lengthwise, and if you’re one of these people
- you may want to rethink your method, at least if you want to make it
easier for yourself to remove the pit. The best way to cut an avocado is
to cut around the pit. If you do this, you will find it much easier to
take it out, without the need for a knife or spoon, because a small pull
will be enough to release it. By the way, if you thought of getting rid
of the pit and throwing it in the trash, don’t rush to do so - read the
following article first and discover some of its amazing health
benefits.
5. Use lemon juice to keep leftover avocado from going bad
If
you’re only planning on using half of an avocado make sure to use this
trick the keep the other half fresh. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze the
juice on the remaining avocado, and then store it refrigerated. The
citric acid in the lemon is a powerful antioxidant that will slow down
the browning process.
6. Use avocado as a substitute for butter
There
is no doubt that avocado is a healthy vegetable - in part because it
contains high amounts of monounsaturated fat, which helps lower
cholesterol, as well as reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
It is also an excellent component for cooking and baking in your
kitchen, which can replace much less healthy products, such as butter.
One cup of avocado puree is equal to a cup of butter.
7. Replace the mayonnaise in egg and tuna salads with avocado
Besides
cooking and baking, another place where you can use avocado as an
excellent substitute is in cold dishes, especially salads. Some people
believe that tuna and egg salad are healthy because of their protein
content, but a large amount of mayonnaise added to these “salads” isn’t
really good for us. Therefore, it is best to replace it with fresh
avocado puree.
8. Lower you fruit shake’s sugar content by adding avocado
What’s
better than starting the morning with a refreshing healthy shake made
from the freshest fruits in your fridge? While many people agree this is
the best way to start their day, they don’t always notice that the
fruit they’re using, such as bananas, for example, is full of sugar,
which, as everyone already knows, is unhealthy in high quantities. To
prevent this, use avocados instead of those sugar-rich fruits – making
sure you get the same nutrients and favorite smooth texture, without the
harmful sugar.
9. Use avocado slices to make healthy ‘fries’
There
aren’t many people who would say no to a plate of fries, but if you
want to stick to a slightly healthier and less fatty diet, use avocado
slices to create a delicious snack that will enrich your body with
better nutritional values and fight off that French fry craving. Just
coat the avocado slices in breadcrumbs and bake them in the oven or even
fry with a little vegetable oil - either way, they still make for the
healthier choice.
10. Turn your avocado into a beautifully appetizing piece of art
You
can upgrade the look of almost any dish by creating a special avocado
garnish. To do this: peel your avocado, cut it into two halves, and
remove the pit. Now take one half, place it on a cutting board with the
pit side facing down, and thinly slice it.
Now
take the flat side of the knife, place it next to the sliced avocado
slices, and press it slightly against them, until they begin to overlap
each other and form a fan; Keep pressing with the knife until the slices
are arranged in a long line.
Now
start assembling the garnish - Roll the avocado slices from the narrow
end inward, and continue rolling until a perfect circle is formed (as
shown in the following pictures).
Now
you can place your avocado artwork on a piece of bread, a pie or
vegetable salad and bring beauty to the most mundane of meals!
11. Easily cut avocado with a peeler
If
you’re looking for really thin slices of avocado to use as a dressing
or garnish for another dish, just run a peeler over it. doing so will
give you thin slices with no almost no effort.
