How to choose avocado

Deciding to choose an avocado, many first of all look at the color of its peel - they say, if the skin is dark, then the fruit will be ripe. But this is a wrong approach. Different varieties of avocado have a different skin color - from light green to dark brown. Therefore, the color of the peel can only determine the grade of avocado, but not the degree of its maturity.

How to choose avocado depending on the variety? In total there are more than 400 varieties of avocados, on our counters you can most often find Californian, Florida and Pinkerton. Peel Californian avocados has a dark green color with a brownish tinge(sometimes almost black). The flesh of this avocado variety is very soft and soft, so it is best to use it for making guacamole and soup-puree - for salad it is not very suitable. The disadvantage of this variety is that because of the dark peel it is difficult to notice the dents on the fruit, so there is a risk to choose a spoiled avocado.

If Californian avocados are sold all year round, then the season Florida Avocados lasts from the end of autumn until the end of spring. The flesh of the Florida avocado is more dense, they can be put in salads or rolls. Even very mature Florida avocados remain dense. These avocados also have a pleasant taste, but they are less caloric and oily. Their skin is thin, smooth, light green. The disadvantage of this variety is that the Florida avocados are very hard to clean, it is almost impossible to do this without a knife.

Pinkerton Avocado have a more elongated shape with a long "neck". The rind of them has a darker color, it is thick, dense and covered with large pimples. If desired, Pinkerton avocado can be cleaned without a knife, picking up the skin with a fingernail and removing it. This avocado has less bone, so with the same size of the Florida avocado and the Pinkerton variety avocado, there will be more pulp in the latter.

So, if you need to choose an avocado for a salador rolls, Florida flavors will suit, Californian avocados are good for making soups, snacks or as an independent dish. The Pinkerton variety is more versatile. But regardless of the variety for eating, you need choose only ripe avocado fruit.

To select an avocado, you need to be able to determine the degree of its ripeness. On the eye this can not be done, so it will be necessary to touch the avocado. Ripe fruit avocado should be dense - not too hard and not too soft. If the avocado is very hard, it is unripe, andtoo soft a fruit, most likely, will appear ripe. Well, do not forget about the differences between varieties - ripe Florida avocado will be denser than ripe California.

If you press your finger on the fruit, a dent should appear on the skin, which will gradually disappear. If the dent is too big and does not vanish - the fruit is overripe. The skin of a good avocado should be colored evenly, make sure that there are no dark spots and cracks on it.

You can determine the ripeness of avocado and in this way: take the fruit and remove the stalk, and then look at the trace from the cuttings. At too ripe avocado it will be brown,in the undersized - yellow-green. You should choose an avocado, whose trace from the cuttings has a bright green color (possibly with small veins of brown). If you click on this avocado, the trace from the cut should slightly stand out the juice.

By the way, if you do not have the opportunity to choose an avocado of the desired ripeness, you can take unripe fruit and let them mature at home. To do this, put the fruits in a paper bagor wrapped in paper towels and put in a dark cool place for 2-4 days. To accelerate the maturation of avocados will help apples or bananas. Put avocado and bananas or apples in a paper bag, make a few holes in it and put it in a dark place.

Cut avocado must necessarily sprinkle with lemon juice - on contact with air, the pulp quickly darkens. If you used only one half of an avocado, wrap the second one in food film and put it in the refrigerator, so it can be stored for 1-2 days. To keep it longer, do not get a stone. By the way, then you can grow a bone and try to grow an avocado tree.

Now you know how to choose an avocado for a particular dish. We hope, our advice will help you choose a ripe and tasty fruit.