Weight-Loss Help with Avacados needed...

Weight-Loss
MAR1984

MAR1984

New member
So, my wife and I have been trying to find a healthier alternative evening snack. Normally, a couple times a week we would make a plate (or 2!) of sandwich ham and chedder cheese on triskets and microwave. They're very tasty, but not the healthiest snack.

Well, this week we made salsa and I found some multigrain tortilla chips, and have been having that instead of the melty ham and cheese triskets. We found that an acceptable alternative, and its much healthier.

Anyways, I was also going to make some guacamole to go with it, and to just have in general for salads or whatever... So a bought some avacados. I know nothing about avacados, so I picked the best looking ones. When I got home and cut one in half... it was all hard inside, and kinda white - not green and mushy like I expected the inside was supposed to look like, considering I'm supposed to be able to spoon out the inside. So my question is, are they just not ripe yet, or are they bad avacados, or what? How do I know when they're ripe and ready to eat or make guac?
 
I always choose them by feel - they should have a touch of 'give' under the skin but not be totally mushy. Also, if they're too hard to slice, they're not ripe yet. (I actually broke an egg slicer trying to force an un-ripe avocado)

If you get some that aren't ripe yet, don't fret though. Avocados ripen off of the tree. Keep them out of the fridge for a day or so until you start to feel a little give under the skin and you should be good to go. Keep the ripe ones in the fridge.

If the inside was white and not all brown then they just weren't ripe yet :)
 
Sounds like they're not ripe yet. :)

When you hold the avocado in the palm of your hand, you should be able to squeeze it and it'll give gently. It shouldn't be mushy, just nicely soft.

If you're getting the Haas avocados (which I think are the best), the skin should be pebbly and rough and a very dark green - bordering on almost black.

There's an article on my blog about the best way to cut avocados:
 
Thanks for the help!

First off, I bought 2 different kinds of avacados. The first kind were as you described - darker green and bumpy, and from mexico. They look like the avacados in your blog, only not as dark. When I cut it in half, I couldn't tell the difference between cutting through the "meat" and cutting through the pit. No way I could scoop any of the insides out.

So (since I wasted an avacado) I bought more, from a different store. These were a more a lime green color and smooth, and from florida. They were softer as well. I cut one of those in half, and same thing. I tried a bite of the hard "meat" part of this one just to see, and it wasn't good - kinda had the consistency of an almond.

So, right now, I have my 4 avacados (2 of each kind) in a brown bag on the counter (someone told me a brown bag would help ripen them up). The 2 I bought first (the darker, bumpy ones) are slowely turning darker - almost the color of the avacados in your blog. But they're still hard, so I'm not sure they're ready yet. The other 2 (the smooth, lime green ones) aren't changing colors, but after 1 day in the brown bag, they became much softer. However, I don't want to waste another avacado so I'm afraid to cut them open yet.

So I guess another day or 2 and they should all be ready? I'm having a little trouble with the "soft but not mushy" method because I'm not exactly sure what thats supposed to feel like. I would say the smooth avacados fit that description right now, but then again I thought it did when I cut the first one open, so... Then again, I don't think I could slice any of them with an egg slicer right now.

Avacados are hard work :svengo:
 
I'm just learning about avocados too and am really liking them. As for the soft to the touch part, just give a gentle push w/ your fingers, there should be some give, like the difference between a crispy hard apple and a ripe pear.
 
Heheh. My sympathies.

The two types have different flavors and textures and I personally don't like the lighter green/smooth skinned ones as much. Those are usually Fuerte avocados - the Florida ones. I think the Haas avocados have a richer, buttery-er taste and the Fuerte are blander and less flavorful. Sometimes when I'm making guacamole for a party, I'll use 2 Haas for the flavor and then a Fuerte to just add more volume.

I would give the Fuerte avocados another day to ripen and the Haas ones at least 2 more days, maybe 3. Sounds like you just got some that were rock hard and they still need some good ripening time.
 
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