Never deal with brown avocados again: Secret to prolonged freshness

The perennial issue with avocados is all too familiar: You eagerly purchase the beloved fruit, patiently wait for it to ripen, and just as it's ready to eat, it quickly succumbs to darkness, rot, and a loss of flavor.

So, how can you keep that avocado fresh and delicious even after slicing it open?

A resourceful surfer stumbled upon a simple yet magical trick on an Australian food forum: Just apply a thin layer of coconut oil to the exposed avocado flesh, and watch it stay vibrant and flavorful in the refrigerator. This surfer even shared a photo of her partially used avocado, testifying to its prolonged freshness.

"This advice is a game-changer," exclaimed one enthusiastic commenter.

But why does this happen?

Avocado's browning is triggered by an enzyme that reacts with oxygen. Coconut oil acts as a barrier, preventing air from reaching the avocado, thus halting the browning process and extending its lifespan. Interestingly, a similar outcome can be achieved by applying lemon juice.

As we haven't personally tested this method, we cannot vouch for its impact on avocado flavor.

How to Speedily Ripen an Avocado in 10 Minutes

While we're on the topic of avocado ripeness, there's a nifty trick that can make your avocado perfectly ripe in just 10 minutes. You'll need three items: a baking sheet, aluminum foil, and an unripe, rock-hard avocado.

Here are the steps:

1. Wrap the unripe avocado in aluminum foil.
2. Place the wrapped avocado on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the oven at 90 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until the fruit softens. Depending on the initial hardness of the avocado, it may take a bit longer.
4. After baking, transfer the wrapped avocado to the refrigerator to cool.
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Give this method a try, and you might just have perfectly ripe avocados whenever you desire!