Some varieties of avocado such as the Fuerte, Ettinger, Reed, and Sharwill stay green when they are ripe, so it’s important to know the type of avocado that you’re looking at. Keep in mind that color isn’t the only factor that you should consider when looking for a ripe avocado. Always test it by touch too.
If an avocado feels firm or hard, it isn’t ripe yet. Purchase it only if you plan to use the fruit several days in the future. If an avocado feels soft, it’s overripe so you should avoid it. The harder that an avocado is, the longer that it will likely take for it to ripen. If you’re purchasing several avocados, it’s a good idea to choose them at various stages of ripeness. That way, you’ll have some that you can use right away, some that you can use in a couple of days, and some that you can use four or five days in the future.
Keep an eye out for mold as well. If the stem area is black or dark brown, the fruit is likely moldy.
Hass, Lamb Hass, Gwen, Reed, or Sharwil avocados have a creamy, nutty flavor. Bacon and Zutano have a lighter taste.
Pinkerton avocados are the easiest to peel, but Bacon, Fuerte, Hass, and Gwen don’t pose many difficulties either. Zutano avocados are moderately easy to peel. Ettinger avocados are the most difficult type to peel.
Avocados with the highest oil content are the Hass, Pinkerton, Sharwil and Fuerte varieties.
Keep the paper bag with the avocados out of direct sunlight to ensure that they don’t become overripe. When you remove the avocados from the bag, test their ripeness by pressing against the skin lightly. It should be tender but not mushy. If you want to soften avocados quickly, then put them in the freezer and then thaw them right away.
Because the cold slows down the ripening process, never store unripe avocados in the refrigerator.
You’ll have a better chance of keeping the avocado from browning if you leave the pit in it when you cut it.
