avocado help

I love avocados - never did enjoy the texture until I hit 40, but go figure - now I can't get enough. I sometimes buy the little ones at Trader Joe that come in a bag of 4, but the last two batches I got never got beautifully ripe, instead when they softened, there was some brown and the pit disintegrated. Other times, they all ripen the same day after days of impatiently waiting. So my question is, how do restaurants always have ripe avocados on hand? I want to have one a day or so and it seems like a mathematical puzzle I can't figure out.

Also, once ripe and unpeeled, any tips to save them as is (do I put in the fridge)? What about once peeled if I don't eat the whole thing? Thanks!

Put 2 in the fridge, 1 on the counter and 1 in a paper bag with an apple. Or something.

If you only eat half, rub a little lemon juice on the cut and tightly wrap.

I thought you were never supposed to put avocado in the fridge?I've been an avocado addict lately. Never buy them in the bag but pick out separate ones, a few very hard ones- one just sits on counter, one goes in brown bag (ripens faster) and I get one fairly soft and ready to eat next day. I have found the ones from Peru to be so-so The ones marked from Mexico are much better

Don't buy produce at Trader Joe's.

Texas said:
Don't buy produce at Trader Joe's.

Or dairy for that matter.

I buy four individual ones at a time, always get the Haas avocados (the small ones). I'll get 2 very green ones, and 2 almost ripe ones (slightly soft to the touch). By the time I eat the 2 ripe ones, the 2 green ones have turned ripe (sitting on the kitchen counter, not in a bag). If I'm not going to eat them immediately, I do put them in the refrigerator to suspend the ripening process.

Check for ripeness in different ways, depending on the kind of avo. The knobbly skinned dark ones get darker as they ripen, but also the stem end softens when they're ready to eat. This means you don't have to bruise fruit by pressing the wide part of the globe.

With Haas and cocktail avos, again you can gently press the stem end to check for 'give'. Some Haas can be eaten while still firm, there's a nutty quality you don't get when they're riper.

Reed avos ( the round ones) should feel heavy and if you gently shake them, you can hear the pit rattle. But it's more reliable to feel for the 'give' at the stem end.

You can hasten ripening by using the paper bag method and an exothermic fruit such as bananas or citrus. Using an apple or pear often turns the apple or pear floury or overly-mushy, as both fruits ripen faster.

If you're trying to eat a more natural diet, you probably shouldn't aim for an avo a day as they're not always in season

There's a simple, foolproof way to tell whether you will discover a creamy, luscious green interior or a brown slimy mess the next time you cut open an avocado.

http://www.thekitchn.com/use-this-simple-trick-to-determine-whether-an-avocado-is-ripe-inside-tips-from-the-kitchn-172933

If you are making guac, put the pit in the dish to keep it from going brown.

If you don't care about it being brown on the edges, you can put a sliced avocado in the refrigerator with abandon. (I seldom eat more than a quarter at a time.)

we have so many avos here, j_r, that often there's no stem cap left! Hence the light feel for springiness or give. Ultimately, it's the same test for most avocado. Reed don't always work that way.

Texas said:
Don't buy produce at Trader Joe's.

why? and where is the best place locally ?

When I cut open an avocado, I cut around the pit lengthwise and then twist the halves against each other so I end up with one half in one hand without the pit, the other in the other hand with the pit. Then, I use the half without the pit and store the other half in the fridge in a plastic bag with the pit intact. That slows down the browning factor. Lemon juice helps, too.

Joanne, that is quite a primer in avocado lore!

Avocado World is 30 mins down the road!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-08/tropical-fruit-tourism/5301058