Ripe avocados will not turn brown or mushy for 14 days with expert’s genius storage hack (Image: Getty)
Avocados are fickle that can turn from fabulous to foul in the blink of an eye if they aren’t correctly.
Luckily, packaging guru Charles Haverfield from dished some top tips on how to keep avocados in tip-top shape for an extended period.
Charles laid out the basics: “The shelf life of your avocado will all depend on the ripeness of the fruit when purchased.”
He advised picking unripe ones for longevity saying, “Naturally, buying an unripe avocado will last you longer if your avocado is still bright green, it will need around a week to ripen before you can eat it.”
The storage expert continued, saying: “A fully ripe, uncut avocado can last up to two weeks after buying if stored correctly.”
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Always keep avocados in the fridge (Image: Getty)
Offering his inside secret, Charles said: “To slow down the ripening process and prevent your avocado from becoming a mushy brown mess, pop it in the fridge which will help keep it firmer and fresher for longer.”
The expert went on to explain exactly why avocados spoil to become brown once cut: “Avocados are highly perishable fruits and are particularly vulnerable to browning once they’ve been cut. This is because, like many fruits, avocados have an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase which reacts when oxidisation happens.
“Once the avocado’s flesh comes into contact with oxygen, a reaction happens that changes the pigment to brown and reduces the quality and texture of the fruit.
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Avocados are particularly vulnerable to browning once they’ve been cut (Image: Getty)
“Because of this, it’s best to leave cutting your avocado for as long as possible before eating to ensure you have the best quality avocado.”
Freezing avocados can be a great way to keep your fruit for longer, even “lasting up to four months” when stored in the freezer perfect for saving those ripe avocados you don’t want to go to waste.
However, avocado lovers should be aware that the thawing process can affect the texture of the flesh, so don’t expect perfectly creamy and firm avocados after defrosting. Because of this, it’s best to only freeze avocados you plan to mash or blend.
To freeze avocados, remove the skin and cut them into chunks or slices before storing them in a zip-lock freezer bag. Allow your frozen avocado chunks to defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes before you use them.
One viral hack “you shouldn’t follow” is keeping avocados in water. Charles explained: “Submerging avocados in water might seemingly help them to stay fresh but doing so will put them at greater risk of contamination.
“Damp conditions make the perfect breeding ground for nasty bacteria such as listeria and salmonella, so avoid this trend to prevent illness.”
He claimed that a “better solution if you want to prolong the shelf life of your cut avocados” is to squirt them with lemon juice. Citrus fruits “work great for preserving avocados” since the acid reduces the activity of polyphenol oxidase, slowing avocado flesh from browning.