I Just Learned How To Ripen Avocados, And All It Takes Is This Fruit And A Bag

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how removing your avocado’s “stem” ― that little nub at the top of the fruit ― can reveal how fresh it is without spoiling the fruit. 

That’s all well and good, but you don’t exactly need to do much testing to know way too many supermarket avocados are rock-hard. For me, at least, the main problem is getting them ripe enough to eat to begin with. 

Some good news: apparently, I don’t have to leave the pears out on my counters for weeks without noticing any softening, only for them to rot seemingly overnight. 

According to BBC Good Food, the answer lies in another fruit and a bag.

How can you ripen avocados?

Per the publication, you’ll need to put unripe avocadoes in a paper or cloth bag with a banana. 

Plastic won’t do, they say, perhaps because it’s less breathable.

The yellow fruit releases a lot of ripening ethylene gas (that’s partly why bananas go brown so quickly, and why some experts recommend wrapping their stems in clingfilm or tinfoil to delay rotting). 

Food site AllRecipes says that if you’re banana-less, the paper bag should help a little in and of itself. This helps to trap the pear’s own gases.

Both the BBC and AllRecipes found that the trick ripened avocadoes in about two to four days. 

The publications also agree that online hacks which recommend putting avocados in the oven or microwave as a shortcut to creamy, soft centres are misguided ― you’ll just be left with the same unripe fruit, but hotter. 

How can I stop avocados from going off once they’re ripe?

It feels like avocados are only perfect for about two minutes before they start to become brown and gooey. 

Indeed Plantura writes: “A perfectly ripe avocado is best eaten right away.” 

But they add that while the perfect bite might seem elusive, in reality, the fruit stays at its prime for about two to three days if you keep it in the fridge.

Leaving them in your crisper drawer or an airtight container seems to yield the best results.

Meanwhile, unripe avocadoes can last for up to two weeks in your crisper drawer.