But avocado is a very fastidious fruit, its flesh in the air quickly oxidizes and darkens. And if you only need a few slices of avocado for a salad, you are doomed to contemplate the sad fate of the remaining half of the fruit. While the best way to enjoy a ripe avocado is to eat it right away, there are still a few secrets to keeping a cut avocado fresh. Don’t throw away the bone You may know that when you cut an avocado, you should use the pitted half of the fruit first. A half with a bone can be stored in the refrigerator for a day. Also, if you have leftover guacamole, or if you’ve cut but not used an avocado, place it, along with the pit, in an airtight container and refrigerate. Airtight containers are better than plastic bags and cling film because, as the name suggests, they do not allow air to pass through. However, this method only works for short-term storage of avocados. The pit will keep the flesh beneath it spotlessly green as this area will not be exposed to the air, but you will still need to scrape off the brown coating from the rest of the fruit. Slice of lemon Practice shows that citric acid helps preserve the color of avocados. If you want to keep a cut avocado fresh for just a few hours, say you’re going to eat it for lunch at the office, place the halves of the fruit crosswise (just don’t peel them), put a couple of lemon wedges between them, squeeze tightly and wrap your “sandwich” in film. Onion This unexpected combination is the best way to keep an avocado fresh for days. If you have avocado chunks left over and won’t be using them anytime soon, place them in an airtight container along with a large piece of onion and refrigerate. While it’s not entirely clear why this odd couple works so well together, it’s believed that the sulfur compounds released by the onions are the reason. Don’t worry about the taste of the avocado – it won’t change. You can also use this tip for storing guacamole.
Source: Translation: Lakshmi