Why do many people love avocados so much? For delicate creamy pulp, rich in healthy fats. For the fact that avocados can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in side dishes, salads, spreads, drinks and even in desserts. For the fact that this fruit does not need to be cooked, but can be consumed raw, even if it is simply cut into pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper.
How to choose the perfect avocado
Avocados on sale are picked unripe so that they can ripen on their way to the consumer without losing their freshness. You can buy fruits in varying degrees of ripeness. Although skin color ranging from deep green to dark, almost black can help with initial visual selection, it is not the most reliable indicator of maturity. You should take the fruit in your palms and squeeze them slightly, without pressing on the fruit with your fingers, so as not to leave dents. If the avocado doesn’t give in to the gentle pressure, then it’s still immature. But after 4-5 days at room temperature, it will ripen. So, if you buy fruits in reserve, this is your choice.
Avocados that are already slightly amenable to pressure will ripen quickly in a day or two. In principle, you can use them in salads already like this, but keep in mind that with such fruits it will be difficult to separate the pulp from the bone, but cut into cubes it will keep its shape well.
Ripe fruit lends itself easily to gentle pressure. This fruit should be kept in the refrigerator. Its pulp separates well from the stone and is easy to knead. Overripe avocados are too soft to touch and will dent easily. When cut, their flesh will be yellowish, and at the stone it may even begin to darken. Overripe fruits may taste slightly rancid.
On the Internet, it is often advised to pry the "button" on the narrow top of the avocado and see if the fruit is ripe or overripe. In unripe fruits, the stalk does not separate at all, in mature fruits, the skin under it is green, and in overripe fruits it is brown. This method has a serious drawback - by removing the "button" of the stalk, you will provide access to air and the fruit pulp will begin to oxidize and darken prematurely. So it is better to choose fruit with a "button" and leave it intact.
How to peel an avocado
Peeling an avocado is simple, in a ripe fruit, the skin can be easily cut with a sharp knife. This can be done very effectively. Place the fruit "on a barrel" on a cutting board, place a towel under it for security. Holding the avocado with one hand on top of the other, place the knife at the narrow end, in the middle, and begin to rotate the fruit until you cut it all in half to the bone. By the way, the bone can be simply removed using a table leg. The same spoon can be used to extract the pulp if you are going to chop it.
If you need to cut the pulp into slices or cubes, it is better to cut the halves again and remove the skin from the quarters, and only then give them the shape you want. The fat-rich avocado flesh quickly oxidizes and darkens, to prevent this - sprinkle it with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
If you are not going to use the whole avocado at once, wrap the rest of the avocado tightly with cling film and refrigerate. So it can be stored for no longer than two days.
How to eat an avocado raw
There are many dishes made from raw avocado pulp. The easiest way is to put slices of avocado on a bread or cracker, season with salt and pepper, and eat right away. If the fruit pulp is mashed with a fork or blender, it can be smeared like butter. Such sandwiches will be especially tasty with ham or boiled meat - turkey, chicken or beef, eggs, smoked fish.
Various sauces are prepared from raw avocados. The most famous of them is guacamole. There are dozens of recipes, but the must-have ingredients are raw red onions, garlic, and freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.
Avocado is a popular ingredient in many salads. Its pulp goes well with leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, meat, seafood, especially shrimp and crabs. Less often, avocados are put in fruit salads, but in vain - it can decorate this dish too.
A new way to eat avocado is to put the pulp in various smoothies. And do not forget that this particular fruit is most often added to sushi.
Why are avocados good for you?
Avocados contain healthy monounsaturated acids, which are not only beneficial for the cardiovascular system, but also have a positive effect on the brain and also promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
