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Home » Kitchen Basics

How To Prep Avocado One Step at a Time

Made by Anastasia Papapetros - Serves Filed Under: Kitchen Basics

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Never stare at another avocado and wonder what to do with it. Get the simple steps to prep and enjoy this healthy-fat fruit in dozens of delicious ways.

Avocado halves and leaves with oil on the bottom.
In This Post:
 [hide]
  1. How to Choose Your Avocados
  2. How to Store Your Avocados
  3. How Does Lemon Juice Prevent Avocados From Browning?
  4. How To Preserve Avocados
  5. To Remove the Pit
  6. How to Dice an Avocado in its Skin
  7. How to Dice a Peeled Avocado
  8. For Avocado Wedges or Slices
  9. For Avocado Roses
  10. Avocado Salad Recipes

How to Choose Your Avocados

The majority of avocados are sold unripe as they bruise easily. Make sure that your avocados are firm, heavy and on the large side, as this usually means that there is more flesh than the pit.

To choose a ripe avocado, gently press around the stem, and if it yields, then the fruit is ripe.

Hass avocados are the only varieties that change colour from green to black when they are ripe; all other types are green when ripe.

How to Store Your Avocados

Avocados should be stored at room temperature until they are ripe. You may be able to speed up the avocado ripening process by placing unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana for two to three days.

After an avocado has ripened you may store it in your fridge, otherwise, its flavour may be ruined.

How Does Lemon Juice
Prevent Avocados From Browning?

Citric acid keeps the fruit from browning because it is full of ascorbic acid and contains strong antioxidants, which work against oxygen to slow down spoiling or browning in your avocados. Citrus juice is also a natural preservative!

How To Preserve Avocados

Squeeze some lemon juice over the exposed avocado flesh to prevent it from discolouring. 

Then simply wrap it with some cling film and store it in the fridge.

Or you could just leave the seed in and wrap it with cling film and store it in the fridge.

To Remove the Pit

  • Cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit, make sure you have control over the avocado and be careful with your fingers.
  • Twist the avocado halves in opposite directions
  • Pull the avocado halves apart
  • Fold a kitchen towel, then use it to securely hold the avocado half with the seed.
  • Then, gently hack the knife blade into the pit, and twist to remove the pit on the blade.
Alternatively: You can use a spoon to remove the seed, but you may lose some of the flesh doing it this way.
SLICING AROUND AN AVOCADO WITH A KNIFE ON A WOODEN BOARD
1-SLICE AROUND THE SEED
HANDS TWISTING AN AVOCADO ON A WOODEN BOARD
2-TWIST IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
HANDS PULLING APART AN AVOCADO TO REVEAL SEED
3-PULL THE 2 HALVES APART
KNIFE HACKING INTO AN AVOCADO SEED IN A TEATOWEL
4-HACK A SHARP KNIFE INTO THE SEED
KNIFE HACKED INTO AVOCADO SEED & LIFTING IT OUT OF FLESH
5-TWIST YOUR KNIFE AND LIFT SEED OFF
USING A SPOON TO REMOVE AVOCADO SEED
6-ALTERNATIVELY, USE A SPOON

How to Dice an Avocado in its Skin

  1. Use a paring or small kitchen knife, to make evenly spaced vertical cuts and then horizontal cuts (in a crosshatch pattern) without breaking the skin of the avocado.
  2. Then slide a large spoon between the skin and the flesh of the avocado to scoop out the diced avocado.
HAND HOLDING AVOCADO FLESH & CUTTING FLESH IN CROSSHATCH
1-CUT AVOCADO FLESH IN CROSSHATCH
HANDS SCOOPING OUT UT DICED FLESH WITH A SPOON ON A WOODEN BOARD
2-SCOOP OUT DICED FLESH WITH A SPOON

How to Dice a Peeled Avocado

  1. Place the avocado half-face down on your chopping board.
  2. First, make vertical, even, and cut lengthwise.
  3. Then turn your chopping board around (this prevents you from handling the avocado too much) to cut in the opposite direction for a dice.
AVOCADO HALF & SHELL ON BOARD
PLACE AVOCADO HALF-FACE DOWN
CUTTING AVOCADO HALF VERTICALLY
CUT AVOCADO HALF VERTICALLY
CUTTING AVOCADO HALF HORIZONTALLY
THEN CUT CUT HORIZONTALLY
JUST A WHITE PAGE

For Avocado Wedges or Slices

  1. Place the avocado half, face down on your chopping board.
  2. For wedges, just slice lengthwise following the shape of the avocado.
AVOCADO HALF & SHELL ON BOARD
PLACE AVOCADO HALF FACE DOWN
SLICING AVOCADO ON WOODEN BOARD
SLICE YOUR AVOCADO LENGTHWISE

For Avocado Roses

  1. Lay an avocado half flat side down. Using a sharp knife, make thin slices across the avocado, repeating down the entire fruit from end to end. Aim for each slice to be between 2-3mm thick. Although it can be tricky, consistent cuts and thickness will give more visually appealing results.
  2. Fan the slices out. Keeping the cut pieces touching each other, encourage the slices to move into a diagonal orientation using your hands. Continue splaying out the slices until they form a thin line.
  3. Roll into a spiral. Start curling the fruit inwards on itself at one end of your avocado slices. Continue rolling the slices until a spiral shape forms and your avocado flower begins to take shape. Ensure it is neatly twisted around itself in a compact circle, using your hands to correct the shape if needed.
  4. Douse the fruit in lemon or lime juice. The acid in the lemon or lime juice will prevent the avocado from turning brown and keep your rose from browning.

Avocado Salad Recipes

SPINACH BLUEBERRY SALAD ON BLUE & WHITE PLATTER WITH LIMES & CILANTRO
SPINACH & BLUEBERRY
VEGAN CELERY SALAD IN LANDSCAPE VIEW
VEGAN CELERY & AVOCADO SALAD
KETO AVOCADO SALAD IN LANDSCAPE
AVOCADO SMOKED PAPRIKA
Arugula avocado salad on black patterned plate with avocado halves and lemon on the side.
AVOCADO WITH SEEDS
COLOURFUL KALE AVOCADO SALAD
KALE AVOCADO SALAD
ARUGULA-SALAD-WITH-AVOCADO-&-PRESERVED-LEMON
ARUGULA SALAD WITH AVOCADO
AVOCADO & MANGO SALAD
AVOCADO & MANGO SALAD
MEXICAN BEAN SALAD - LAND
MEXICAN BEAN SALAD - LAND
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About Anastasia Papapetros

Anastasia has been passionate about cooking since she was eight years old, and hasn't left the kitchen since! With over a decade of experience running her own coffee shop and catering business, Anastasia has developed a true love for salads - especially for family get-togethers and friends' functions. She's the go-to for bringing the perfect salad to any occasion!

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