How to Chop an Avocado
September 20, 2012
•Emily Murray
•Atlanta
• 0 Comments
How to Chop an Avocado
The end of summer is approaching fast. Chances are that you are making preparations for one more big summer get together over the Labor Day holiday weekend with your friends from culinary school in Atlanta. If so, you’ve probably got your plans and ingredients for your favorite recipes. Maybe mom’s potato salad? Or grandma’s five-layer pudding? But then again, maybe you don’t, and you’re still looking for something tasty to bring to the picnic.
May we suggest avocado? With a North American season that runs from spring well into autumn; fresh, ripe avocadoes are still plentiful at your local grocer. In fact, they may even be on sale as they are so plentiful this time of year. Whether you are making that batch of mom’s potato salad or have your own killer guacamole recipe, avocadoes should be an indispensable part of your Labor Day plans this year.
Selecting the Right Avocado
Picking ripe produce can be a tough job, but it doesn’t take a culinary school education to do. Everyone has got their own tips and tricks for picking the best tomatoes, melons, and berries. Few, however, are reliable. Not so with avocadoes, though. There are two ways to tell if an avocado is ripe enough to take home:
- As a rule, the darker green the fruit, the riper it is
- A ripe avocado should give when squeezed with the thumb without being mushy. The fruit should be soft to the touch without feeling like a skin full of hand lotion
Once you get your avocadoes home, store less ripe ones at room temperature. If you have no choice but to purchase unripe avocadoes, you can speed the ripening process by placing them in brown paper bags. Eat ripe fruits as soon as possible. If not, you can keep them in refrigerator for a couple of days before they turn to mush.
How to Properly Cut an Avocado
Now that you’ve selected the perfect avocado, the next question is: How the heck do I get it out of the skin? Don’t worry. Despite what you may have heard, it’s actually a pretty easy job.
- Place a thoroughly washed avocado on a cutting board
- Hold it with one hand while you slice, beginning at the thinnest end, around the fruit. You should begin and end in the same spot
- Give the two halves a slight twist and pull them apart. One will have the large seed. Remove it by cutting into it with your knife and twisting. It should easily come out.
- Now you can prepare your avocado however you need it:
- For diced avocado to be used in salads or guacamole, use a knife to cut a grid pattern into flesh and scoop it out with a spoon
- For slices, cut slices into the fruit and scoop out the slices with a spoon
- For peeled quarters or other large cuts, cut the fruit into quarters and peel the skin beginning at the thinnest end
However you cut these wonderful fruits, you can enjoy them in a variety of ways. Slice them onto sandwiches. Add them to salads. Smash them into homemade guacamole. Try adding a slice or two to a hot-off-the-grill bacon cheeseburger and you’ll have the perfect meal.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in the Atlanta, Georgia area. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Atlanta for more information.
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