Tips for keeping ripe avocados fresh in the fridge

The unexpected benefits of avocado

Avocado is a highly nutritious fruit with over 20 vitamins and minerals like potassium, lutein, and plenty of fiber. It is widely used not only as a food ingredient in many dishes and nutritious beverages but also in beauty treatments for women. Here are some surprising benefits of avocado:

• Stabilizes blood pressure: Avocado is rich in potassium and low in sodium, helping to maintain electrolyte balance and blood pressure in the body.
• Controls weight and reduces cholesterol in the blood: Thanks to its high protein and fiber content, avocado controls hunger and keeps you feeling full longer. Additionally, several scientific studies show that avocado can significantly reduce cholesterol levels.
• Prevents cancer: Avocado also contains oleic acid, glutathione, vitamins C, E, carotenoids, and avocatin B, which can prevent some cancers such as those of the mouth, skin, breast, and prostate.
• Effective anti-inflammatory: The beneficial nutrients in avocado, including omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, and vitamins, help support treatment and prevent inflammation in the body.
• Protects heart health: Avocado can also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by about 30-40% due to its high vitamin E content, along with oleic acid and beneficial unsaturated fats for heart health.
• Maintains healthy skin: Avocado contains vitamin E and many other antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help maintain healthy, firm, and bright skin, avoiding harmful effects from UV rays.
• Protects eye health: Avocado also contains monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts, maintaining healthy eyes.
• Enhances overall health and mood: In addition to the mentioned benefits, avocado also promotes overall health and improves mood, reducing the risk of depression.

How to prepare avocados before storing them in the fridge

2.1. Choosing delicious avocados is extremely easy

First, you need to know how to choose delicious avocados. If you want to eat them immediately, you can choose soft ones, but if you want to store them for later, pay attention to the tips for choosing avocados below:

• Outer skin: Ripe avocados are usually those with green skin and yellow spots, which are softer and creamier. Avocados with brownish-pink skin tend to be more fibrous. Ripe avocados often have shiny, firm skin, feel heavy in hand, and make a slight rattling sound inside.
• About the shape of the fruit: Long avocados usually have more flesh and smaller seeds than round ones but are more fibrous.
• Avocado stem: If the stem core turns dark brown, the avocado is ripe, while those with slightly yellowish stem cores are ripe.

2.2. Quick ripening avocado tips

If you accidentally buy unripe avocados but want to enjoy them immediately, place them next to ripe fruits such as bananas, mangoes, etc., because ethylene gas from these ripe fruits will help ripen the avocados faster.

Another method you can apply is to soak the avocados in cold water or place them under running water, then place them in a ventilated basket, with the stem facing upwards, and cover them with a wet cloth. You should do this about 2-3 times a day to increase the humidity for quick ripening without losing water.

2.3. Steps to prepare avocados before storing them

Clean the avocado thoroughly: To avoid mold and bacteria affecting the quality of the avocado, you should wash the avocado skin under warm water.

Remove the avocado pit: Take out the avocado pit by cutting the fruit in half with a sharp knife, then use your hands to separate the halves and remove the pit.

There are quite a few ways to preserve ripe avocados in the refrigerator using easy-to-find ingredients, let's take a look:

Preserve avocados with fresh lime: To extend the shelf life of avocados, you can brush a little lime juice on the surface of the fruit and put it in a sealed bag or container then place it in the refrigerator. This method will help prevent the avocado from browning by avoiding direct exposure to air.

In case you don't have a refrigerator, you can also use this method for temporary preservation, just put the avocado in a ziplock bag.

4. Tips for preserving ripe avocados in the refrigerator

Preserve ripe avocados with olive oil: Use olive oil to brush a thin layer on the halved avocado and put it in a tightly tied plastic bag or a tightly sealed container. This layer of olive oil acts as a protective barrier for the avocado, preventing them from being affected by factors that cause them to spoil. This preservation method can be applied when you use avocado to make sauce.

Preserve ripe avocados with olive oil: Use olive oil to brush a thin layer on the halved avocado and put it in a tightly tied plastic bag or a tightly sealed container. This layer of olive oil acts as a protective barrier for the avocado, preventing them from being affected by factors that cause them to spoil. This preservation method can be applied when you use avocado to make sauce.

Preserve ripe avocados with onions: Put the avocado and onions in the same bag or container, then seal it tightly. At this point, the substances in the onion secretions help inhibit the enzymes that accelerate the oxidation process, making the avocado less prone to decay and helping to preserve it longer. However, this method should only be used if you are using avocado for savory dishes.

Crush avocados for preservation: In addition to the methods mentioned above, you can also crush avocados for preservation in the refrigerator to save space. The process is quite simple: Use a spoon to scoop out all the avocado flesh into a bag or container, then squeeze a little lime juice in. Mash the avocado with the lime juice thoroughly. Finally, seal the container tightly and store it in the refrigerator.

5. Tips for preserving ripe avocados in the refrigerator with olive oil

6. Tips for preserving ripe avocados in the refrigerator with onions

Note that the amount of lime juice should be no more than about 2 teaspoons. Lime juice helps maintain the color and nutrients of the avocado.

5. Some notes on preserving avocados in the refrigerator

In case you accidentally cut an unripe avocado, you can apply the above methods except for crushing and storing in the fridge.

If you have cut an avocado but haven't used it, you can press the two halves together as closely as possible. Then tightly wrap them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge to ripen gradually.