The Article shares ways to ripen avocado quickly at home, and how to know if an avocado is ripe, and whether you can ripen an avocado in the microwave.
Avocados do not ripen on the tree, they can remain on the tree for 12 months without ripening as some studies show. Avocados only mature, ripen and develop buttery texture after harvesting. They however, require careful timing to achieve ideal ripeness.
When buying avocados, choose avocados that are firm and free from blemishes or wrinkles. The skin color can vary depending on the variety and fruit to fruit, so focus on the firmness. How to grow avocado tree in pot.
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| Unripe Avocados |
Avocados Ripening Process
As mentioned, avocados ripen only after being harvested. Avocados are a type of climacteric fruit, like bananas, pears and tomatoes (fruits that produce ethylene). They produce ethylene, which is responsible for the ripening process of climacteric fruit. The ethylene production slows down if you store them at cold temperatures.
Methods to Ripen Avocados
As mentioned, avocados produce ethylene gas that triggers ripening, so incrfeasing exposure to this gas will ensure optimal ripeness. However, the ripening process is influenced by temperature and humidity.
Ripening avocados can take from a few days to a week, depending on initial firmness, temperature and humidity.
Method 1: Ripening on the Counter
The first method is based on the fact that it produces more ethylene at a higher temperature. So storing them at 21C (70F) will speed up the ripening process as compared to a lower temperature of 10C (50F).
Place the avocado on the kitchen countertop at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. The higher temperature in kitchen will begin its ripening. The ripening can take up to a week depending on temperature.
Check the avocados daily for their desired ripeness.
Method 2: Storing in a Paper Bag
You can place avocados in a paper bag or wrap in a newspaper. The bag traps and increases the concentration of ethylene gas around the avocados, thus speeding up the ripening process.
Check the avocados daily for their ripeness by gently pressing near the stem end.
Method 3: Storing with Banana and/or Apple
Another way of quickly ripening avocados is to further increase the amount of ethylene gas around them. This is achieved by placing avocados with bananas and apples which also produces large amounts of ethylene. Store avocado in a paper bag along with a banana or apple or both and place in a warm area like kitchen top. It may take 1–2 days to ripen your avocados fully.
Method 4: Ripen an Avocado in Microwave
Can You Ripen an Avocado in the Microwave or oven? There are reports that you can ripen an avocado in microwave quickly, but actually it is not true. In microwave, you are cooking the avocado and not ripening. Heating an avocado does not instantly ripens it.
The microwave does not ripen an avocado at all, though it softens an avocado immediately due to its cooking. The flavor and aroma will not be comparable to that of a correctly ripened avocado.
The properly ripened avocado becomes buttery and creamy, a microwaved one becomes slippery, smelly and mushy in the hotter areas and still firm in others. The microwave ripened avocado contains less of its healthy fat because it is under ripe.
Similarly heating the avocado with a hairdryer will not ripen it but cook it as in a microwave.
What to do if you have cut an unripe avocado?
If you have cut an under-ripe avocado, then seal the cut pieces back together and wrap in cling wrap. The cling wrap will reduce moisture loss, but the cut avocado will continue to produce ethylene and will ripen it.
How to Know if an Avocado Is Ripe
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| Ripened Avocado |
When you buy avocados, choose avocados that are firm and free from blemishes. There are two ways you can determine if the avocado is ripe.
1. By Color: First by looking at its color. The color of the avocado changes it ripening progresses. But this is not a reliable way to determine ripeness, because avocado skin color varies from variety to variety and fruit to fruit.
2. By Touch: Gently press on the avocado on the place where it was attached to the stem with a finger. You want to feel a slight tenderness and give. If the avocado feels very firm here, it is not ready, while the ripe one will feel slightly tender. If it feels too soft, it has ripened too much.
How to Store Ripe Avocados
Ripe avocados will start to produce brown spots and streaks at room temperature within about two days.
Refrigerating Ripe Avocados
Once avocados reach the desired ripeness, you can store them in the refrigerator to slow down the process of ripening. This helps prevent them from becoming overly ripe too quickly. You can refrigerate a whole and uncut ripened avocado to keep it good for up to five days, but it will begin browning if left too long.
How to Prevent Ripening Avocados
You can prevent ripening your mature avocados by lowering temperature, wrapping them in polythene bag to reduce oxygen and waxing the fruit. How to keep bananas fresh longer
Avocado producers cover avocados with the ethylene-blocking chemical 1-methyl cyclopropane (1-MCP) to slow their ripening. The effects of 1-MCP last about 20 days, after this time, the fruit begins to produce ethylene again, and the fruit ripens.
Mastering the art of ripening avocados by wrapping in a paper bag, storing in a warm place or next to bananas. This ensures you always having perfectly creamy fruit ready. So, next time you use these methods to ripen them effectively for your favorite dishes, from guacamole to salads and sandwiches.
Video on How to Ripen Avocado Quickly
How to ripen avocados quickly at home youtube video