How to store avocados at home. How to store an exotic avocado fruit at home. How to save an unripe fruit

Choosing an avocado is sometimes not an easy task, especially for those who try this healthy overseas fruit for the first time. When going shopping, you should decide which fruit is preferable: already ripe, ready to eat, or requiring ripening at home. This will be indicated by its appearance, namely the shade and density. There are several easy rules and tricks that will help prolong the fresh and appetizing appearance of fruits of varying degrees of ripeness.

Storing avocados at home

There are several options for storing avocados at home. You can keep them on a shelf or in a fruit basket, while observing the correct lighting regime, as well as in the refrigerator and freezer. Observing a number of simple rules, you can perfectly save even a cut fruit.

Rules for storing fruits in normal apartment conditions

At room temperature (18–24°C), avocados can be stored for up to two weeks. However, depending on the degree of maturity and the characteristics of external conditions, this period may vary.

Under such a temperature regime, completely green fruits can remain fresh for 12–14 days, if special conditions are not created for them that accelerate ripening. It is only necessary to periodically evaluate the state of the fruit for changes in color and softness in order to serve it on the table in time.

If the fetus is planned to be used no earlier than a week later, it is recommended to simply place it in a secluded place, protected from direct sunlight and heat. This will protect the product from overripe, the fruit will remain whole and elastic.

If it has already been cut and turned out to be immature inside, it is not recommended to store it at room temperature for a long time. The fact is that in some cases, the oxidation of the pulp begins before the fruit is fully ripe. In such conditions, it can be kept for no more than a day.

It is undesirable to keep a ripe juicy fruit in a regular pantry. It will quickly overripe and lose its qualities.

How long can you keep a tropical fruit in the refrigerator

Avocados are stored in the refrigerator (at 4-6 ° C) when they are fully ripe, otherwise the low temperature will not allow them to ripen properly, and they will not be able to acquire their best taste. In the refrigerator, fruit stays fresh for an average of 4 days. On the fifth or sixth day, its skin gradually darkens, wrinkles, and the avocado begins to lose its flavor. This suggests that the fruit is overripe and should be used as soon as possible before it completely deteriorates.

There is a small instruction for the safety of this product in the refrigerator:

• It is placed in a transparent plastic bag (preferably tight), from which, if possible, almost all the air is released. For these purposes, it is best to use a bag with a zip lock. This technique will allow you to extend the freshness of the fruit for two, or even three days. It is especially recommended to store a cut avocado in a bag.
• The package is placed in the refrigerator in a special section for fruits, or near the back wall, where the temperature is lower. Under the influence of cold and in conditions close to vacuum, even the most ripe fruit will be perfectly preserved for up to six days. If it has become too soft and smudges from the juice are visible on it, then it is time to eat it.

Important! If an avocado is part of any salad, it is advisable to keep it in the refrigerator for no more than a day.

How to freeze a fruit

"Alligator pear" is not afraid of lower temperatures. If there is a need to preserve the fruit for a very long time, you can put it in the freezer. The only disadvantage of such storage is that avocados will no longer have such a rich aroma and bright taste, but they are perfect for making sauces, salads, mashed potatoes and for other culinary purposes.

It can be put in the freezer whole, but it is best cut into small pieces or stored in a container as a puree. In this case, the packaging must be sealed. With this method, the product can remain fresh for several months.

You can consider two options for storing it in the freezer:

1. Less laborious way. First, wash your avocado thoroughly and cut it in half. Remove the pit with a spoon, peel the fruit. For convenience, you can cut the halves into smaller pieces. Place them in a bag, container or wrap them tightly in cling film in several layers, put them in the freezer.
2. Clean the surface of the fruit from dirt, divide into two parts, remove the stone. Scoop out all the pulp with a spoon into a bowl, beat in a food processor or blender until a smooth puree is obtained. Pour ½ or a full tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon or other citrus juice into the resulting mass. The acid contained in citrus fruits will not allow oxidative processes to spoil the avocado, keeping it in good quality for a long time. Place the puree in a container or bag without filling it to the top, as the mass will expand slightly when frozen. For convenience, on the container / package, you can make a note about the date of freezing. In this state, the product can be stored for up to six months.

A brown color when visually inspecting an avocado will indicate that it has begun to spoil. It should be thawed immediately and used for its intended purpose.

Important! If the avocado is completely defrosted, it should be eaten as soon as possible. Repeated freezing will violate the properties of the pulp, it will lose its elasticity and taste, and further storage in the refrigerator will lead to spoilage of the fruit, as it will quickly oxidize in air and turn black.

How to ensure ripeness

Often, among the many fruits, an unripe one is purposefully chosen to use it later. To get a juicy and outwardly attractive avocado in a week, you can do the following. Put the fruit in a paper bag or a simple newspaper, and with it - an apple of any kind or a banana. Under these conditions, the avocado will fully ripen in a couple of days. The fact is that all ripening fruits emit a gas - ethylene, which stimulates their more active ripening. The paper will hold the gas well inside.

But sometimes it happens that, having all the external signs of maturity, the inside of the fruit turns out to be green and not ready for consumption. No one is immune from buying an unripe avocado. This, of course, is revealed when it is already cut. This begs the question: how to ensure ripening if the integrity of the fetus is broken? You can use this method:

• Connect all the slices together, pressing tightly against each other to exclude exposed parts under the influence of oxygen. The bone is not removed.
• Wrap the fruit with cling film, you can put it in a special vacuum bag. The tighter the packaging, the better.
• Send the fruit to the refrigerator until it is fully ripe. The process will take a few days longer than if the whole avocado was kept open at room temperature.

• Tip 1 - if the fruit is already cut, it is necessary to cover the slices as soon as possible with a moderate amount of lemon juice, which counteracts oxidation and darkening of the sections. For these purposes, orange, tangerine, lime, tomato juice or a few drops of vinegar are also suitable.
• Tip 2 - Be sure to keep the cut avocado in the refrigerator, while avoiding contact with other foods as much as possible, especially vegetables and fruits. Otherwise, it will lead to its rapid deterioration and impossibility of use.
• Tip 3 - when sending a fruit for storage, it is advisable not to remove the stone from it, since it helps to protect the pulp from light and oxygen, preventing the fibers from quickly oxidizing.
• Tip 4 - do not use cellophane for ripe avocado slices in the refrigerator or freezer, as this material allows air to pass through. The fruit wrapped in such a bag will quickly overripe and may rot even in the cool.
• Tip 5 - Onion pieces placed in a container of chopped avocado will keep it from browning and keep it fresh for several days. At the same time, the sharp onion smell is not absorbed into the pulp of the fruit.

Video about proper storage of avocados:

Not every housewife knows how to store avocados, because this fruit appeared on the shelves of our stores not so long ago. Meanwhile, there are many recipes that can be prepared with this unusual fruit. Therefore, the question of its safety becomes very relevant.

How to save an unripe fruit?

Beautiful green fruits are sold on store shelves, and at home the buyer often notices that he has purchased an unripe avocado. It will not be very tasty, so you should leave it in storage. After lying at room temperature for 7 days, the avocado will ripen.

Unripe fruits reach readiness in 7 days at room temperature

You can speed up the ripening process of the fetus by wrapping it in a paper bag. In this case, the plant will become edible after 3 to 5 days. If you put an avocado and a banana / apple in one bag, then the process will speed up even more.

It is wrong to keep an unripe fruit in the refrigerator; at a low temperature, it will ripen for a long time.

To determine the ripeness of an avocado, gently press the skin with your fingers. If the fruit is ripe, then it will easily succumb to pressure.

It also happens that in appearance a person could not determine how ripe the fruit was, therefore he violated the integrity of the fruit by cutting it. In this case, the question arises of how to properly store avocados so that the fruit does not lose freshness and ripen. To save the fetus, you need to do the following manipulations:

1. Rub both parts of the cut avocado with lemon or lime juice, then place on top of each other, pressing firmly.
2. Wrap the fruit in cling film and place in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf for storage. If there is no film at home, then a container with a lid, a bag with a lock will do. The most important thing is that a vacuum is created in the storage container, oxygen is not supplied to the fruit.

The ripening process of the cut fruit lasts from one to several days. You should not keep the cut fruit at room temperature; it will not work to preserve its taste and freshness.

How to store ripe fruit?

How long does an avocado that is already ripe last? If you keep the product in a cool place, it will not lose its quality and taste for about 3 days. This shelf life is only for whole fruits. If the product is cut into slices, then you will have to take more care of its storage. Like an unripe fruit, slices of a ripe fruit should be smeared with lime or lemon juice, and then sealed. In order for the pulp to retain its freshness as long as possible, you should not remove the stone from the fruit. It will protect the fruit from light and oxygen, which will extend the shelf life.

If the avocado, which was stored in the refrigerator, darkened, became soft, dark spots, smudges appeared on the peel, then it is overripe, it is time to eat it. Otherwise, the product will simply deteriorate.

How and where to store avocados? If for a long time, it is recommended to place in the freezer. Of course, the taste of the product after such storage will change a little, but if you use it to prepare any sauces, then it is quite suitable. In a salad, a thawed fruit will not be entirely appropriate, as it will lose its shape, most likely, it will spread in different directions, and it will taste different from fresh.

An avocado may well lie in the freezer in its entirety, but it is much more convenient to pre-grind the product: mash it or cut it into small slices. Fruit cut in any convenient way should be placed in a freezer in an airtight package. When packaging blanks, it is necessary to make a portion small, so that it can be used at a time. Re-freezing of the product is prohibited.

Buy unripe avocados to avoid spoilage

Avocado is quite specific, it does not have a pronounced taste and aroma, but in combination with fish and seafood it is simply incomparable.

Therefore, it is very important to learn how to store this fruit so that it benefits the body and delivers gastronomic pleasure.

The avocado (alligator pear) is a tropical fruit with tender flesh that should be conserved given its degree of maturity. Its cut begins to darken rather quickly, which is why the storage of cut fruits should be approached with special attention. Despite the presence of this fruit in the diet of a large number of people, not all of them know exactly how to store avocados at home. We will talk about the most affordable options for preserving southern fruits further.

Which fruits should be chosen

Fully ripe fruits should be purchased if they are to be consumed within the next few days. The degree of maturity is determined by the structure. When pressing on the fetus, a small dimple should remain on its surface.

• The unripe fruit has a bright green, rather hard peel. He himself is hard to the touch, and his taste is slightly reminiscent of an unripe pumpkin. Peeling such an avocado and getting a bone out of it is quite difficult.
• The peel of a ripe fruit has a dark green, uniform color. With the exception of the Hass variety, which is considered the largest, and turns black when fully ripe.
• The flesh of a ripe avocado has a yellow-green color and an oily texture, and the stone is easily separated from it when cut.
• The skin of a ripe fruit can be easily removed by hand, and the taste of a ripe avocado cannot be bitter.

Stored fruits are best bought when their skins are still bright green. When it is dark, the fruit should be consumed within the next few days.

How long to store an avocado

• Keep ripe avocado should be at a temperature of +4°C - +6°C.
• And for him ripening a dark place with a temperature of + 18 ° С - + 24 ° С is suitable.

Under normal conditions, fruits remain fresh for 10-14 days. And if they are already cut, then no more than 6. Depending on the degree of maturity, the storage time may vary slightly.

Storing avocados until fully ripe

The shelf life of an avocado that has not yet ripened may be different (keeping conditions are important).

For about a week, the fruit will remain fresh at a temperature regime of + 18 ° С - + 24 ° С. After this time, the fruit can be considered fully ripe. After that, storage under the same conditions should be continued for no more than 2 days. And then send the fruit to a cold place for further savings.

An unripe avocado placed in a paper bag will have a shorter shelf life. The fruit will become ripe no earlier than after 5 days. If a ripe pear or is placed in the same bag, the fruit will ripen much faster.

The average ripening period for an "alligator pear" is 2-3 weeks. In the cold, the fruits ripen slowly, while they must be wrapped in paper.

An unripe cut avocado cannot be stored without a refrigerator - it will begin to deteriorate very soon.

Ripe fruit storage

Ripe avocados are best stored at temperatures of +6°С -+8°С, in paper bags. The fruit and vegetable compartments of the refrigerator are well suited for this.

Avocados wrapped in cling film and placed in a vacuum container will last longer. As an option, put the fruit in a bag with a zip fastener, then remove the remaining air and close it tightly. This will help prevent the interaction of fruits with oxygen, which is a catalyst for ripening processes.

How do you know if an avocado has gone bad? By dark stripes on the pulp of the fruit and small droplets of juice on its cut. When these symptoms appear, fruits should be used immediately, without waiting for the moment when they become completely unfit for consumption.

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Storing the cut fruit

Avocado pulp contains substances that can quickly oxidize when interacting with oxygen. At the same time, the pulp of the fruit quickly darkens (acquires a brown color). To prevent such a development of events, you can use several simple methods.

You can generously process the cut of the fruit with lemon juice, lime or apple (wine) vinegar, after which the parts of the fruit will remain usable for up to 6 days.

The next way to store a cut avocado is to preserve the cut with a thin layer of olive oil. This will create a barrier that will prevent oxidative processes.

In any case, the storage of the cut avocado should take place in a cold place, in a plastic container. In this case, it will be possible to store avocados for 5 days.

When cut fruits are immersed in cool water and then kept in a cold place, they will darken on the second day. In this case, the fruit will absorb the liquid and lose some of its original qualities. They will get too soft texture and brown color.

Freezer storage

You can store a ripe avocado at home for the longest time in a frozen form. But for this it needs to be crushed: cut into cubes or mashed.

• The fruit is washed well, after which it must be cut into two parts, the stone removed and the peel removed.
• The pulp is crushed to a puree state (a regular fork is suitable for a fully ripe fruit). If you plan to freeze a large amount of avocados, you can use a blender.
• In the resulting mass add 1 tbsp. l. freshly squeezed lemon juice (lime) and stir thoroughly. When placed in a plastic container, it should be left up to 2-3 cm to the top. When freezing, the mass increases, which will inevitably lead to deformation of the container.

Avocados can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Avocado. Overseas fruit, which is no longer exotic on our tables. Sold everywhere, used in the kitchen by many housewives. They buy it a little unripe, and then the question arises: how to properly store an avocado so that it does not deteriorate before the “X” day? Read and compare options.

in the freezer

The longest shelf life for avocados is in the freezer. Is up to 6 months. But you can’t just stuff the fruit into a container like that. It must be prepared. You will need:

• ripe avocado
• fork or blender
• half a lime or lemon
• food container or sealed bag with a zip fastener

Procedure. The avocado should be peeled and the pit removed. Next, the pulp must be crushed into a puree. If the fruit is ripe, then this is done without difficulty with an ordinary table fork. When storing a large number of fruits, it makes sense to use a blender. Because of one avocado, the unit can not be dirty.

The next step is to put the puree into a container or bag. Now it remains only to sprinkle the surface of the mass with lemon or lime juice, close tightly and put in the freezer.

To prepare a salad in the future, it is not at all necessary to puree the pulp. It will be enough to remove the skin, discard the bone. Now you need to cut the avocado into pieces of the required size, sprinkle with the same lemon juice. Now the mass is ready for freezing and long-term storage. After thawing, the taste will be less intense, and the aroma slightly less strong. But they will not disappear completely and you will be able to fully enjoy the creamy-nut tenderness of the overseas fruit.

Advice. After thawing, mashed avocados should be eaten as soon as possible. In the open air, it oxidizes and acquires an unappetizing dirty color. Oxygen does not affect the taste and texture. By the way, re-mashed avocados do not freeze.

In a refrigerator

Most sources do not recommend storing avocados in the refrigerator. This is partly correct. It just doesn't specify that you can't store unripe avocados. Because the cold prevents the fetus from ripening normally. But already fully ripened fruit feels great on the shelf of the kitchen unit. And there are several options to save an already cut avocado.

1. With onion. Oddly enough, but the longest fruit is stored in onion fumes. It does not darken, does not become watery. You just need to cut a large onion to the bottom of the container, and put half an avocado on top. In a tightly closed container, the fruit is stored for up to 7 days without signs of spoilage.
2. With lemon juice. You can store a cut avocado for almost 6 days if you smear its surface with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Naturally, in a closed container.
3. With olive oil. The flesh of an avocado will not darken, and the fruit itself will not deteriorate for 5 days, if you carefully grease the cut with good olive oil. Don't forget a container with a lid.
4. In a vacuum bag. There are special bags for storing perishable products. They create a kind of vacuum. Avocados can be stored in this environment for up to 4 days. Unfortunately, it is impossible to physically completely remove oxygen from such a bag, so the flesh will gradually darken.
5. In water. Some simply immerse half of the fruit in cold water and leave it in the refrigerator. But already on the 2nd day, such a fruit darkens. By the way, it remarkably absorbs this same water, which has a very negative effect on taste. The pulp becomes the usual smear, and even an unpleasant brown hue.

As you can see, the cut avocado is stored the longest along with the onion. By the way, over time, the pulp does not lose its taste, aroma and density. And it doesn't start to smell like a raw onion.

When is the right time to take an avocado out of the fridge? As soon as the first dark stripes appeared on the pulp and small drops of juice on the cut. This is a signal - the avocado should be eaten immediately, or sent to the salad. Because it is fully ripe and has even begun to overripe. If this is not done, after a couple of days, half of the fruit may turn out to be inedible, lethargic and loose.

Advice. To keep the cut avocado longer and fresher, do not remove the pit from the remaining half.

Also, a whole avocado is very well preserved in the refrigerator compartment. For this, only ripe fruits are selected. All you need is a paper bag. It is in this package that avocados feel great in the compartment for vegetables and fruits. But plastic containers and plastic bags are not very suitable for storing a whole avocado in the refrigerator. The fruit can simply "suffocate" and deteriorate in a matter of hours.

In the closet

If you decide to store an avocado on a shelf or in a kitchen cabinet, then wrap the fruit in wrapping or craft paper. In such a wrapper, a ripe whole avocado will lie for almost a week. But you should pay attention to the temperature. It should not exceed +22°С. Otherwise, the storage period is reduced to 3 days. After all, he has such a tender pulp that quickly deteriorates if the fruit is fully ripe.

An unripe avocado will keep a little longer. At the specified temperature - about 10 days. We recommend periodically checking the avocado for maturity, and store ripened fruits separately. Otherwise, it is likely that the entire contents of the paper bag will go to the trash can.

1. For long-term storage, purchase bright green fruits. They stay the longest. But fruits with a dark green tint of the skin should be eaten as soon as possible. This is an indicator of the full ripeness of the avocado.
2. Even a whole fruit with an intact skin has the ability to quickly evaporate internal moisture. To prevent the fruit from wilting ahead of time when stored without a refrigerator, try to limit the access of sunlight to it. In the dark and in suitable temperature conditions, the alligator pear is perfectly stored for up to 13 days.
3. Do not store avocados with any other fruit. The fact is that most of them emit ethylene, which significantly accelerates the ripening of avocados. As a result, the fruit may overripe and begin to rot even in the refrigerator.
4. Always store avocado halves cut side up. This will avoid the loss of delicious juice, and prevent the fruit from wilting too early.
5. On the basis of mashed avocado pulp, a delicious thick sauce is prepared. It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 5 months. Only by all means in an airtight container or a special bag for freezing. Otherwise, the sauce will be saturated with the smells of the freezer and become smelly and inedible.
6. Some sources recommend simply fold the cut avocado halves together, wrap tightly with cling film and put in the refrigerator. We do not recommend doing this, because a whole avocado will live much longer than a cut one. If for some reason you had to do this, then still grease the slices with lemon juice or even apple cider vinegar. No, the shelf life will not increase from this, but then at least the flesh will not darken.

Now you know all the ways to properly store avocados. And choose the right method to protect the fruit from premature spoilage. And it is better not to store, but eat immediately. Because this fruit is very tasty.

Video: choose, peel and store avocados