How to Keep Avocados From Browning
Avocados are a magical addition to any diet. They’re creamy, fatty and satisfying, adding richness and heft to dishes otherwise bordering on virtuous. But turn your back for, like, a minute, and a halved avocado deteriorates to a particularly unappetizing shade of brown-green (it happens by a process known as oxidation). TBH, sometimes the easiest way to save an avocado seems to be eating whole thing at once, that way there’s no avocado left to brown. Problem solved.
Since avocados are a staple in the Paleo diet, it’s natural to want to figure out a way to make the most of them and not have them turn brown before our very eyes. Seriously, with avocados being the expense that they are, nothing pains us more than chucking them in the garbage because they’ve browned before their time. While we can’t promise any miracles, this is the hack we’ve found to keep avocado fresh the longest:
Immediately mash unused avocado flesh up with a touch of lemon juice and add to a reusable container. Smooth out the top of the mixture with the back of a spoon until it is perfectly level. Add a thin layer of water to the top of the avocado mash before refrigerating.
The water keeps any air from getting to the avocado and the slight bit of acid from the lemon does double duty. Simply pour off the water and give it a stir before using again. Continue saving it the same way until it’s gone. It goes without saying that this works for storing guacamole, as well.
Obviously, this method only works for mashed avocados. For avocado halves, we’ve tried all the tricks in the book — brushing with olive oil, brushing with lemon juice, storing with an onion, wrapping in plastic, you name it. The only way we’ve found that really works is to just throw the half with the pit in the fridge, then when ready to eat, remove the pit and slice off the exposed oxidized flesh. The inside should still look perfect.
Image via weheartit
