Avocados are a delicious and healthy fruit that can be enjoyed in many different ways. However, like all fruits, they will eventually go bad if not properly stored. So, how long do avocados last in the fridge?
Properly stored, avocados will usually last for about 3-4 days in the fridge. However, there are a few things you can do to help them last even longer.
How to Tell If an Avocado Is Ripe?
One of the most important things to do is to make sure that they are ripe when you put them in the fridge. If they are not yet ripe, they will not last as long. You can tell if an avocado is ripe if it is soft to the touch but not mushy.
To find a ripe avocado, you can press it. If it dents inwards a little bit, then it’s ripe. If it squashes, then it’s overripe.
Another way to tell if an avocado is ripe is by its skin color. A raw avocado will have a bright and shiny green hue for the green-skinned variety. As it starts to ripen, the skin will change from bright green to dark green and become a brownish hue when ripe.
The brown-skinned variety will still maintain its brown color when ripe but will change to a dark, deep brown when overripe.
How to Store Avocados in the Fridge?
If you have selected some ripe avocados, it is time to store them in the fridge. The best way to do this is to place them in a plastic bag or container with some holes punched in it.
There are different ways to store avocados before you eat them. You can store them raw, or whole. If they are ripe, you can also store them as whole fruit or cut them up. If they are not ripe yet, you can store them in the fridge or freezer.
Related: Should Apples Be Refrigerated?
How to Handle Whole Ripe and Raw Avocados?
If you have bought ripe avocados and do not want to eat them right away, the best thing to do is store them in the refrigerator. This will stop them from ripening too quickly.
If you leave the avocados out at room temperature, they will over-ripen and rot quickly.
It is not a good idea to put raw avocados in the refrigerator or freezer. This will stop them from ripening and make them taste bad. It is better to leave them out in the open or in the pantry so they can ripen naturally.
If you want to ripen the raw avocados faster, you can put them in a bag with an apple or banana. These fruits produce a hormone called ethylene, which will help the avocados ripen.
One way to speed up the ripening process is to cut into the avocado and sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice. Then, put the halves back together with the pit and wrap them in plastic wrap. Store them in the fridge, and check on them from time to time to see if they have ripened. This method can help you get the perfect avocado every time.
How to Handle Cut Ripe and Raw Avocados?
If you only need half of an avocado, you can store the other half in the fridge to prevent it from ripening further and to prolong its shelf life.
Coat the flesh with acid like lemon, lime, or vinegar to keep the flesh from turning black. Wrap the avocado in cling film or paper. You can also brush the flesh with vegetable oil to prevent it from browning. Keep the seed in as it reduces the surface area of exposed flesh.
If you want to keep your avocado for a long time, chop it into small cubes or mash it. Then mix the cubes or mashed avocado with lemon/lime juice or oil. You can store it in a zip lock bag, airtight container, or ice tray. Freezing is the best way to store avocados for a long time.
To stop the avocado from browning, you need to make sure that no air gets to it. You can do this by removing all of the air from the bag and making sure that the bag touches the avocado. If you are using an ice tray, cover it with plastic wrap and press down on the wrap so that the entire surface of the avocado is touching the wrap.
If you have a lot of avocados, you can store them in small batches. This will make it so you can thaw out the number of avocados you want to use. Another way to freeze avocados is to vacuum seal them.
When to Discard Avocados?
Yes, avocados go bad. You can tell if they have gone bad by looking at them and smelling them. If they look or smell bad, then you should not eat them.
An avocado is overripe if it can still be eaten, but a rotten avocado is unpleasant to eat or use. There are ways to check if an avocado is rotten. One way is to look at the color.
An avocado that is rotten will have a sour taste and a bad smell. This is easy to see when you cut into it. The main thing that makes avocados decay quickly is oxygen. When you store them, make sure there is no air getting in so the avocados stay fresh for longer.
The skin and flesh of an avocado become darker as it ripens. If the flesh is brown but there is no visible mold or smell, it can still be eaten. If the avocado rot, the flesh will start to separate and turn black and stringy.
The easiest way to tell if an avocado is rotten is by looking for mold. If you see any whitish or greyish patches on the skin, the stem eye, or the flesh itself, then the avocado should be discarded immediately. This is because there is a danger of food poisoning if someone allergic to mold inhales it.
If an avocado feels too squashy, it is overripe and will go bad soon. It is best to eat it right away or discard it altogether.
An avocado with a sunken center but is still in one piece and has dented skin is also past its prime.
Conclusion
Avocados are a delicious fruit that can be used in many recipes. They are also healthy for you and can be eaten as is or added to other foods. There are ways to store avocados so they will last longer, but no method is 100% effective. You can tell if an avocado has gone bad by looking at it and smelling it. If it looks or smells bad, then you should not eat it.
When in doubt, throw it out!
