One of the most annoying transformations a home cook experiences is the sudden and dramatic decline of an otherwise flawless, vibrant, green avocado to an unappealing, brown mess within a few short hours. Browning isn’t a sign that your avocado has turned sour, but it certainly detracts from the flavor, texture, and presentation of your fruit. No matter if you have sliced avocado, you intend on making fresh guac and have some too-ripe avocados just to hand, you may also find there are a bunch of interesting things to make avocados last a lot longer. Here are 9 simple tips to help prevent avocados from going brown:
Keep with Red Onions
When you have cut some of your avocado and cannot consume all of it, keep it in an airtight container with some chopped bits of coarsely cut red onion and put it away in the fridge. Sulfur in the onion creates an environment that discourages decay while also reducing the flesh from browning by a significant margin.
Retain the Pit
Always keep the pit in half of the avocado that you are not using! The pit covers the exposed flesh, keeping the area less exposed to oxygen. The pit itself doesn’t necessarily contain magical anti-browning compounds; it is simply a natural plug against the air.
Wrap with Plastic tightly
The best way to do it is to remove as many of the air bubbles between the fruit and the plastic wrap. Put the plastic wrap directly on top of the flesh and remove any pockets of air to make sure the surface is well-sealed with oxygen.
Vacuum Seal
This is likely to be the most effective way to keep your avocado from turning green. If you use the method of vacuum sealing, there is no oxygen in the container, and the fruit will be a perfect green for months.
Top Guacamole with water
If you make guac from scratch, put it in an airtight container with as little air in the container as possible, and then fill it to the top with a thin layer of water (at room temp). When you want to eat it, simply pour the water off and stir.
Invest in an Avocado Pod
An avocado pod or save is essentially a plastic shell designed to store half an avocado, and it applies pressure to the cut sides to keep them from oxidizing.
Freeze with Lemon and Blend
If you have ripe avocados to use up that you won’t be eating soon, you can mash them with a little bit of lime and freeze the guac in a vacuum-sealed bag for months at a time!
Spray with Cooking Oil
The most unpleasant-tasting method (only use if the flavor of the cooking oil is something you want as a side-effect): Lightly mist the cut surface of the avocado with cooking spray. The oil will create a tiny barrier to the air.
Dip in Apple Cider Vinegar
No citrus? A quick dip of your cut avocado surface in apple cider vinegar will also reduce oxidation by increasing the acidity of the area, the same effect as lemon or lime juice.
