Get to Know Different Types of Avocados

Avocados are a very nutritious product and the main ingredient in numerous salads and snacks. However, it may be disappointing to find out that the avocado is all mushy and brown inside once you cut it open to make guacamole. To avoid this situation, 5-Minute Crafts came up with a guide on how to spot the perfect avocado.

Step 1. Determine when you’re going to eat the avocado.

Avocados differ in ripeness, so it’s helpful to know when to eat them. If they’re not ripe yet, they’ll become ready to eat over the next couple of days.

🥑If the avocado doesn’t succumb to light pressure, it’s considered “firm.” Also, note that unripe, fresh, and firm avocados boast bright green hues.

🥑If you get a firm, green, unripe avocado, keep it in your kitchen at room temperature (65°F-75°F) for 4-5 days before you eat it, and wait for it to become ripe. It won’t become ripe too quickly. If you want it to ripen as fast as possible, keep it in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana.

Step 2. Pay attention to the avocado’s skin color.

A ripe avocado is perfect to eat that day. You can store it in the refrigerator if you plan to eat it in a day or 2 to prevent the fruit from becoming overripe or spoiled.

🥑 To understand an avocado’s ripeness, check its color. If it has a darker color, it means it’s ripe or ready to eat. Also, it’ll feel slightly soft but not “mushy” to the touch. However, remember that color can vary for different avocado types. Moreover, if it’s subjected to gentle pressure, it’s ripe and ready to eat.

🥑Keep in mind that there are many different types of avocados, and some of them stay green even after they’ve ripened. Hass avocados, for example, change colors as they ripen, turning into a purplish black color and getting softer near the stem. Shepard avocados, on the other hand, don’t change their color and stay bright green while ripening but feel softer near the stem.

Step 3. Check its stem.

Remove the small stem from the fruit and check for the following underneath it:

🥑If the stem comes off easily and the avocado underneath it is green, the fruit is ripe and ready to be eaten.

🥑If the stem comes off easily but the avocado underneath it is dark brown, the fruit is over-ripe.

🥑If the stem doesn’t come off quickly, the avocado is likely not ripe.

Step 4. Gently squeeze the avocado.

Take an avocado in your hand and gently squeeze it to determine the ripeness; be sure not to apply too much pressure:

🥑If the avocado is firm, it’ll take 4-5 days to ripen.

🥑If the avocado feels softer but can still withstand pressure, it’s likely to take 1-2 days to ripen.

🥑If the avocado is soft but not mushy, it’s ready to eat.

🥑If the avocado is mushy, it’s overripe.

Bonus: Get to know the popular types of avocados.

Avocados are very nutritious, as they contain fiber, folate, potassium, healthy fats, vitamins K, C, and E, a small amount of vitamin B, antioxidants, and minerals. There are hundreds of varieties worldwide. They come from tropical evergreen trees in hundreds of varieties, shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Let’s check out some of the most popular types.

🥑 Hass avocados boast a spherical shape with skin that turns from a bold green to a dark purplish-black as they ripen. This type of avocado has a buttery, nutty flavor and is available all year round. It’s generally used for making guacamole.

🥑 Fuerte means “strong” in Spanish. It’s pear-shaped and has a large seed, green flesh, and medium-thick leathery skin. It has an oily texture, similar to hazelnuts, and is available for 8 months of the year.

🥑 Bacon avocados have easy-to-peel green skin with freckles and one very large seed. They have a lighter taste than other varieties.

🥑 Pinkerton is a very long type of avocado with a tiny seed in an oblong shape. It has rough skin and creamy flesh.

🥑 Gwen is similar to the Hass avocado in taste and its oval-shaped appearance, but it’s part of a larger Guatemalan variety. It has a thick but easy-to-peel dark-green skin.

🥑 Reed avocados are round with a light, subtle flavor and yellow-gold flesh in a softball size. They’re only available during the summer months. This avocado’s skin remains the same green color when ripened, unlike other types.