Are you trying to find a way to store avacados? We have explained the best tips to ensure the longevity of Avacados by storing them in the best manner.
Preparing Avocados for Refrigeration
See, this is a pretty simple process:
- Cleaning: Like any of the fruits you want to clean, wash avocados as well for the sake of hygiene. You don’t need to do anything else except wash them under running tap water and clean them with a soft towel.
- Removing stems: Remove stickers and stems from the avocados because they play a big role in trapping moisture, which leads to quicker spoilage.
- Wrapping: Wrapping is always a good way of preventing air exposure to avocados. You might have seen many vendors doing the same. Yes, it decreases the process intensity of oxidation.
- Storing in a container: Airtight containers prove to be great saviours for avocados as moisture from the air is avoided in this way.
- Labeling: If you are the one who buys groceries in one shot, it’s better to store your avocados in containers and, most importantly, label them. Try to eat the ripened ones first.
Choosing the Right Temperature Setting
The thumb rule is that you need to maintain the right temperature for each and every type of fruit, and vegetables and avocados are no exception. Temperature always plays a big role in spoiling the fruit prematurely.
It’s best to set your refrigerator temperature between two degrees centigrade to four degrees centigrade. In terms of Fahrenheit, it is 36 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a perfect cool environment that slows down your avocado’s ripening process.
Now, if you are planning to store avocados in your deep freezer, then please avoid it, as extreme cold temperatures actually damage the fruit more than you think. It’s best practice to store them in the main body of your refrigerator because the temperature is the most constant there.
Also, don’t try to play with the fluctuations of your refrigerator temperature. More fluctuation means more risk of over-ripening. Just choose the right temperature and stick to it because I know you are planning to enjoy your avocados to their peak ripeness because the maximum taste lies there only.
Utilizing Protective Barriers
- Lemon or lime juice: If you are brushing the cut surfaces with lime juice or lemon, it’s definitely going to slow down oxidation.
- Oil coating: yes, again, many vendors apply olive oil on the avocados, which is a perfect one to coat over your avocados. It does nothing but create a barrier against air to slow down oxidation.
- Plastic wrap: As we discussed earlier, wrapping your avocados in plastic will certainly help reduce oxidation.
- Vacuum sealing: This is the best protective barrier not only for avocados but also for many other fruits.
- Airtight containers: Now, if you put your avocados in an airtight container and put it in the fridge, it will actually prolong the life of your avocado to 2 or 3 extra days. Nobody knows that. But what if you put these containers at room temperature? Is it going to help reduce overripeness? Yes, it does, to some extent.
Maximizing Avocado Shelf Life
Well, just a few perfect storage techniques are more than enough to keep your avocados fresh for much longer.
We have already discussed many of them up there, such as plastic wrapping or placing them inside an airtight container and then into the fridge. It’s perfect. Adding lemon or lime juice is, again, a perfect thing to do.
It will not just maintain the ripeness but also help keep your avocados look handsome. Yes, apples and bananas on the same shelf of avocados will always create a problem. They will just put extra gear on to ripen it.
These tips are actually more than enough to increase the shelf life of your avocados.
Reviving Overripe Avocados
Now, let’s say that you have already destroyed a few of them. What are you gonna do now?
Is there any other means by which you can safely enjoy them or just throw them away?
- Lemon or lime juice bath: You can soak your overripe avocado slices in perfect temperature lime or lemon juice Because it will freshen them up for a while, and you can enjoy them without causing any health-related issues.
- Mesh and Mix: Meshed avocados can be used in many different recipes. You can create Sal yoghurt out of it. You can mix it with ingredients like salsa or yoghurt.
- Blending into smoothies Slightly overripe avocados actually add extra stars to the taste of various types of smoothies. It increases the creaminess.
- Baking: If you are preparing to bake a cake or prepare brownies, then it’s the top idea for using your overripe avocados in a very gentle way
- Freezing: Okay, we already discussed not to freeze your avocados because they speed up the ripening. But here we are already talking about overripe avocados. So you can store the over-ripened ones in your freezer. They will live for a few more hours while you plan to prepare some recipes out of it, as discussed above.
Creative Uses for Refrigerated Avocados
Okay, now we have ensured adding a bit of extra hours to your avocado’s life by refrigerating them. What’s the best use now?
- Avocado Toast: I don’t know whether you have enjoyed avocado toast before, but believe me, just put a few of the extra toppings, such as feta cheese, eggs, and tomatoes, and it will give you a heavenly taste.
- Salads: Now, if you are on a diet, avocado salad can be pretty fascinating. There are no extra calories loaded in. Instead, extra nutrients are there.
- Guacamole: If you are able to whip your avocados with a batch of guacamole with tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice, you can actually enjoy some top Italian taste.
- Sushi Rolls: Okay, let’s talk about something Japanese. If you are already into preparing sushi rolls, then try adding creamy avocado ones. You will thank me later.
- Avocado Smoothies: avocado always adds extra texture to smoothies. If you’re a fan of a more creamy and thick smoothie, then try to get some berries around, get mango or banana, mix it with avocado, and just see what happens after that.
