Avocados - consistently poor?

Inspired by Pesta's thread about bananas I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about Avocados!

I think I have wasted hundreds of pounds on them as the 'home ripening' ones never, ever ripen properly. They're either still hard when they have just gone brown, or if you leave them a little longer they have brown spots all the way through!

Even the 'perfectly ripe' ones that appear to be ripe are still hard!

I think an avocado is ripe when it looks like in the video below and the knife cuts through it like 'warm' butter - without the resistant of the 'hard' unripe avocados.



What do you all think? When do you feel an avocado is ripe?

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

I never buy the brown, extra soft ones because they're always brownish in spots (or all over) on the inside. I buy the ones that still have a greenish color, but 'give' slightly with a gentle squeeze. If they're too mushy, I avoid them completely. But I have bought the ones that aren't ripe yet and, after a couple of days sitting in a dark cupboard, they're fine. Like tomatoes, I never put avocados in the fridge.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

I would, however, like to try this. Just so happens I have the one pot chef on and he made these tuna and avocado quesadillas.

http://onepotchefshow.com/videos/tun...s-one-pot-chef

I think I might replace the tuna with chicken, though. I love tuna, but it doesn't seem to sound very appetizing in a quesadilla.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

Just press the top of the avocado (around the stalk area) - when there is some give it is ripe.

Avocados don't ripen until after they are picked, the colour means nothing except for the Haas variety which start off purple/black and go green whereas the Sheperd variety are the same green ripe or unripe. If they are brown spotted just throw them away.

If you want to speed up their ripening stick em in a paper bag with a banana. (Bananas are notorious for ripening everything - they give off a gas)

Personally I think avocados a very over rated fruit I only buy them when they are cheap and usually mash them up to mix with something else in a sandwich.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

In my experience, with the Hass avocados, the greener they are, the less ripe they are. They start green, then get darker in color as they ripen.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

Opposite way round unless they are going off.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

That's rather bizarre. Avocados are green when they're picked from the tree, then darken as they ripen. I guess it depends on the variety. I like Florida avocados better than Hass, but they're hard to find and only available certain times of the year.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

These are the ones we generally have year round and the stages of ripeness. It says that some avocado varieties retain their light green skin, even when ripe. As do the Florida avocados. Even ripe they're still green and they're much larger in size than a Hass. But a Hass, when ripe, will be brown.

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

Actually I think you are right, I never buy Haas. From the horses mouth:

http://avocado.org.au/how-to/how-select

Re: Avocados - consistently poor?

Advocados are tricky .
When they are good they are lovely .
Like Azz I have bought advocado that never ripen just turn into rubber !