Avocados are a versatile fruit and can be added to a range of dishes, but there is a simple trick to keep them fresh for up to a month longer without them going brown or hard
Avocados are a popular summer treat and make for a delightful breakfast addition – but there’s nothing more disappointing than cutting into one only to find it’s turned brown and gone off. It’s frustrating to see both money and food go to waste, and it appears many of us have been storing avocados incorrectly – they should never be kept in water.
Amy Lynn Cross, a culinary expert and founder of The Cross Legacy, has revealed that the popular social media hack of storing avocados in water can actually promote bacterial growth and spoil the fruit. She warned: “These tips show people storing whole and halved avocados in water to keep them fresh longer. It has been all over social media. In reality, it could be making you sick.”
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However, there is a safer and more effective method to keep your avocados fresh for up to an additional month, reports the Express.
How to properly store avocados to keep them fresh for longer
Amy said: “My ‘secret elixir’ for washing avocados is actually quite simple and easy on the budget. It’s composed of two ingredients: cool water and five percent distilled white vinegar.”
While it might sound odd, washing avocados and other fruits in a vinegar solution can eliminate any bacteria or contaminants on the skin, thereby extending their shelf life.
Start by peeling off any stickers from the avocado skins, then immerse them in a bowl filled with cold water and 60ml of white vinegar.
Set your timer for precisely two minutes before introducing the avocados, and ensure the fruit doesn’t remain submerged any longer than this – otherwise you risk detecting the vinegar’s tang in the flesh. When time’s up, rinse away the vinegar mixture under running tap water before leaving the avocados to air-dry completely.
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Ensure they’re thoroughly dried before putting them away, as any residual moisture could encourage bacterial growth and mould to develop on the fruit. If your avocados aren’t yet ready to eat, place them in a fruit bowl, but once they’ve ripened, pop them straight into the fridge where cooler conditions will halt the ripening process.
For optimal results, position your avocados alongside lemons, as these two fruits work in harmony to prevent each other from over-ripening too rapidly – whilst placing avocados near apples or bananas will accelerate the ripening process.
Amy explained: “I have always stored my avocados in a drawer next to my lemons. It turns out that they help each other last longer. I won’t get into the science behind this here, but unlike lemons, apples and bananas do not mix well with avocados. They speed up the ripening process.”