How to prepare avocado

Buttery, delicious and packed with awesome nutrients like vitamin E, potassium and healthy monosaturated fat, these pear-shaped, tropical fruits have taken the world by storm!¹ If you’re a relative newbie to avocados, you may be wondering exactly what the best ways are to prepare and eat them. From how to safely remove the stone to what you can do with them beyond just enjoying them on toast, here’s our complete guide to prepping and enjoying tasty avocados.

Choosing your avocado

The first step to preparing an avocado is making sure its skin is unblemished and that it’s ripe. If you’re selecting one in the supermarket, squeeze it gently to see if it is soft. It shouldn’t be too squidgy, though, as this will usually mean that it’s overripe. Similarly, an avocado that is hard is definitely not ready to eat! You can still purchase it though and leave it to ripen outside of your fridge. Top tip: put it next to some bananas to speed up the ripening process.

How to prepare avocado

Regardless of how you’re going to eat your avocado, you’ll want to follow these easy steps to prep it first:

1. Take your ripe avocado and place it on a board. Using a sharp knife, cut lengthways around the entire fruit, using your other hand to hold the avocado steady.
2. Place your hands either side of the cut and twist to split the avocado in half.
3. Remove the stone by placing a spoon gently underneath it and levering it up.
4. Slice the two halves in half again and then peel away the skin from the corners. You can then slice, mash or purée the avocado for your chosen dish, drink or snack!

Four healthy ways to eat avocado

Once prepares, here's how you can enjoy your ripe avocado:³

1. Enjoy it on toast

This is a popular brunch dish and you can jazz it up by adding a poached egg, a dollop of hummus or balsamic glaze on top.

2. Make it into guacamole

Create your favourite Mexican dip by mashing up some avocado with finely chopped onion, diced tomatoes, lemon juice, chilli flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Toss some into a salad

Avocado makes a wonderful addition to any salad. Simply prep it as instructed above and then chop it into chunks. Alternatively, try marinating it in olive oil and serving it with thick slices of mozzarella.

4. Add some to a smoothie

Transform your smoothies by adding some avocado to them. It will not only give it a creamy taste, but it’ll also improve the texture.

Storing your avocado

When it comes to storing an avocado which has been scooped out of its skin, take the same approach as other fruits and drizzle it in lemon juice to help preserve it. If you’ve only used half of an avocado and want to save the rest for another day, keep it in the skin with the stone, wrap it up in clingfilm and refrigerate it. Check out healthy products to pair with your avocado dishes in our amazing cooking sauces and pastes range. You’ll also discover dozens of delicious recipe ideas over on The Health Hub. Last updated: 22 June 2020 Sources 1 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-avocado 2 https://loveonetoday.com/how-to/how-to-cut-slice-peel-pit-avocados/ 3 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/avocado