How To Ripen Avocados Fast – Our beloved fruit, Avocados, holds a special place in many cuisines, especially in diets. Due to their creamy texture, rich and unique flavor, and various health benefits, nutritionists recommend Avocados in their diet plans. Avocados have earned an irreplaceable spot in everything, from morning breakfast toast, and smoothie bowls to the evening guacamole spreads. But there is one problem we avocado lovers face – the waiting game.
Yes! The waiting time for the avocados to rip to perfect consistency is longer. To enjoy the perfect flavor of the avocado, we must wait for the avocados to ripen well. If avocados are stubbornly unripe, and firm as a rock, they are unfit to eat. We understand the frustration is real. So here we are with our new blog post on “How to ripen avocados fast,” with some proven methods.
How To Ripen Avocados Fast At Home
Once we get avocados home, we don’t like to wait much for them to ripen well. But, how to ripen avocados quickly to include them in our dishes? Well! Before jumping into the avocado ripening methods, let’s understand the different stages of avocado ripening. And the major things involved in the avocado ripening process.
Understanding The Avocado Ripening Process
Avocado ripening is a very delicate process. As each stage, it gains unique texture, color, and flavor. At which stage to use it? That depends on our purpose of usage. It goes through four stages – unripe stage, firm stage, ripe stage, and over-ripe stage. At the unripe stage, avocados are usually as hard as a rock, and not ready for the prime purpose yet. It tastes bitter and unfit for culinary usage.
Next comes the firm stage. At this point, avocado starts to give a little yield when squeezed gently. But it still maintains its structural stubbornness. It can still be used for salads and sandwiches, in slices and dice form. But, if you are craving that creamy and buttery avocado, then you will have to wait for its next stage of ripening.
Here comes the perfect stage for consuming avocado, a ripe stage. At this point, avocado yields even to gentle pressure, and even the color of the outer skin signals its perfect ripening. The texture of the avocado flesh is creamy, and buttery now. It can be used for various culinary applications. Whether you like it mashed on toast, blend into a smoothie, or just spoon it from its shell, or make guacamole, ripe avocado is truly a delight.
Last is an over-ripe stage, when its flesh turns slightly brownish from green, and becomes more mushy. They are still edible, but the taste doesn’t remain the same as like in perfectly ripe avocado. So it’s better to enjoy it before reaching the over-ripe stage.
Methods To Ripen Avocados Fast
The ripening of the avocados depends on various factors. Warmer temperature speeds up the ripening, while colder temperature slows it down. Also, Ethylene gas, which is a natural plant hormone also plays a major role in avocados ripening. Below are a few tested methods that help in speeding up your avocado ripening process.
Paper Bag Method
Just take a clean paper bag and put all those hard avocados in it. Along with avocados, pop some ethylene-producing fruits like bananas or apples into a paper bag. Now seal the bag and keep it aside. These ethylene-producing fruits speed up the avocado ripening process. In no time, it turns your stubborn avocados into soft and creamy textured ones.
Brown Bag Method
It is the cousin of the paper bag method that we saw earlier. Instead of using a paper bag, we use a cozy brown here. The only benefit is brown bag traps the ethylene gas faster than a paper bag. To ripen avocados fast using the brown bag method, just place them along with some ethylene-releasing fruits in the bag. Shake it well and distribute them evenly in the bag. Keep checking them at particular time intervals.
Warm Environment
Temperature plays a major role in the avocado ripening process. That’s where the warm environment method comes into play. In this method, finding the right spot to place avocados is crucial. Keep them near sunny windowsills, on top of the fridge, or near the oven – anywhere that gets a little extra warmth. This extra warm environment helps in ripening the avocados fast.
Microwave Method
This can be a little tricky, but a fast method to ripen avocados. Take avocado and start poking them all over using a fork or knife tip. Remember not to overdo it. This process helps steam to escape and avoid blasting. Now depending on the size and ripeness of the avocados, put them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Microwave settings and timings are completely a trial-and-error method.
Oven Method
In this method, wrap your avocado completely with a food foil. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C) for 10-15 minutes. Now place the foil-wrapped avocados into it. In no time it turns the hard avocados into brown and soft ones. Start with the lower temperature and timings. Basis the avocado’s hardness, adjust your oven temperature.
Paper Towel Method
Another easy method to quickly ripen avocados is the paper towel method. Take avocados and wrap them with a damp/wet paper towel. A damp paper towel creates a humid environment for the avocado. Now seal them tightly in a plastic bag. It traps all the moisture and ethylene gas goodness in the cover, thus speeding up the ripening of avocados.
These are simple tricks or methods that can be used in your kitchen to speed up the avocado ripening process.
General Tips On Avocado Ripening
- Regardless of the method you use, check for avocado ripeness by gently pressing it well before. Then go for the ripening only if it is needed.
- Once the avocado is ripe, store it in the refrigerator to prevent it from further ripening.
- Irrespective of the method used, make sure the avocados are placed evenly in the bag/container, to ensure even ripening.
- Check your bags kept for ripening daily to track their progress.
- Place the bags in warm places like near a sunny window or atop the fridge.
There is a thin line between ripe and over-ripe avocado. So, make sure you don’t overdo any of the above-mentioned steps, to avoid over-ripening. These are some simple methods that we tried. As I always say, keep experimenting and let us know if you find out any new and easier methods to ripen avocados fast.
