Ripening Avocados Quickly

Avocados are one of the most nutritious fruits known to us. The nutritional value of avocado differs drastically when it is in the immature stage and when it's ripe. It is not unusual to find unripe avocados in the market. Do not hesitate to buy them as inferior or immature fruits. The fact is these wonderful fruits ripen only after harvesting. On the contrary, it is better to purchase the unripe ones, so that you can control their ripening and make them ready only when you need. Ripening avocados quickly is possible by practicing some easy-to-follow tips.

How to Ripen Avocados Quickly
So, you planned to prepare guacamole recipes and found out that the avocados that you have bought yesterday are stone hard and immature. Don't worry as there are several effective ways for ripening avocados quickly. Leaving the freshly harvested avocado fruits at room temperature in the shelf (not in refrigerator) induces ripening. The following are some of the effective ways for ripening avocados:

Wrap in Paper Bag
Avocados ripen within three to four days, if they are kept in brown paper bags at room temperature. In case, you cannot arrange for brown paper bags, use simple newspaper to completely wrap the avocados. This also helps in quick ripening of the avocado fruit.

Add Ripe Fruits
For ripening avocados quickly, you can place them in a paper bag (preferably brown bag) and add a ripe banana, apple or tomato. The ethylene gas released from the ripe fruit will quicken the ripening process of avocados. Make sure you store them at room temperature.

Bury in Flour
Another way to ripen avocados quickly is by burying the fruits in a sack of floor. If you do not have a sack of flour, you can use a bag filled with flour for ripening avocados quickly. This traditional method has been followed for a long time to ripen all kinds of fruits.

Place in Windowsill
For ripening the avocados within 2 days, you can place them on the windowsill. It is a better way to enjoy ripe, fleshy avocados, rather than waiting for a weeks at a stretch to have them. Check the avocados by pressing them slightly. If it changes color and turns soft, then they are ready to eat.

Use a Microwave
In order to ripen avocados quickly, a microwave is the best device. Nevertheless, use this method as the last resort, as microwave ripened fruits do not taste similar to naturally ripened avocados. For this method, prick the fruits from all sides by using a fork. Lay paper towels over the microwave plate and place the already pricked avocados into the microwave.

Set the oven at medium heat and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the fruits and check for the softness. If they are still hard, place them in the oven again and cook for another 30 seconds. Repeat the process until the avocado fruits are ready for eating. Avocados ripened through a microwave are best for preparing avocado recipes but not for fresh eating.

Read more on

• Avocados, The Best Fruit Available
• Easy Guacamole Recipes

With this information, I hope by now you have understood the various ways for ripening avocados quickly. So, the next time you are preparing healthy avocado recipes, plan 2-3 days ahead and ripen the fruits quickly. Ripe avocados are soft, easy to peel and usually have a dark greenish brown skin color. Check regularly whether the fruits are ready-to-eat or not, as some varieties do not change color even when they are ripe. In another case, if you want to prevent over-ripening of avocados, store them in the crisper of the refrigerator. You can enjoy the fruits even after a week.