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When buying this exotic fruit for the first time, most people do not know if avocados need to be peeled and how to do it correctly. This is not surprising: after all, some simply have not yet had time to try an unusual fruit and do not know how to properly handle it.
Do I need to peel an avocado?
Avocado, or alligator pear, is very popular among healthy lifestyle followers. Its pulp is very useful, it consists of easily digestible fats and vitamins K, C, E, B. Before use, it is recommended to thoroughly wash and peel the avocado. The skin of the fruit does not have a pronounced taste. It is quite tough and contains toxins, which, in case of individual intolerance, cause an allergic reaction and upset the gastrointestinal tract.
How to peel an avocado at home
The skin of the avocado fruit is rough. Irregularities can accumulate a lot of dirt and germs. Therefore, before peeling an avocado at home, be sure to wash the fruit under warm water using a soft sponge. It is also important to do this so that when removing the peel, microbes do not get on the pulp.
The peel of a ripe fruit literally peels off the pulp itself. It is easy to clean it with your hands, just starting to tighten the peel in the direction from the stalk. You can also arm yourself with a knife and peel the fruit “like a potato”, cutting the peel from top to bottom. Another way is to peel an avocado like a banana: after cutting off the top, pull the skin down with the edge of a knife. But these options are not suitable for hard, unripe fruit. To properly peel a green avocado, you need to take a sharp small knife and carefully cut the peel, trying to remove as little pulp as possible. You can better understand how to peel an avocado from the video:
How to remove the pit from an avocado
The stone in the fruits of the alligator pear is not edible. It, like the peel, contains toxic substances. Therefore, in order to avoid negative consequences, it is recommended to consume only fruits that have been completely cleaned.
To remove the pit, you need to cut the avocado in half: stick a knife into the center of the wide part of the fruit and insert it into the pulp until the blade rests on the bone, then continue to cut the fruit along the bone. You should get two halves: one with a bone, the second without. The bone can be removed with a spoon by simply picking it up from below. Some pull out the bone with a knife: sticking a blade into it, twisting it to the sides.
How to cut an avocado
A ripe avocado has a very soft texture, so it is easy to cut it in a variety of ways for certain dishes. For salads, peeled avocados are often cut into cubes, and for rolls, into strips. In addition, the pulp can be crushed with a fork if you need to prepare a sauce, such as guacamole. This is a very popular cold appetizer, the basis of which is avocado pore. For guacamole, it is not necessary to completely grind the pulp of the peeled fruit, small whole pieces are allowed. The resulting puree is mixed with lemon juice and salt. Sometimes tomatoes, chopped herbs and various spices are used as additional ingredients.
How to cut an avocado in half
To properly cut an avocado in half, you need to take a knife no longer than 15 cm, otherwise it will be inconvenient to work. The peeled fruit should be placed on a cutting board and cut at the widest part of the fruit. You need to keep pressing on the blade until it reaches the bone. As soon as the knife rested on the bone, you should continue to cut in a straight line already the upper part of the fetus. Then, on the upper part, draw an approximate cut line on the other side and do everything in the same way. The cut lines should be in the same places on both sides. After that, take the fruit and put your hand on its upper half. After scrolling both parts to the right and left, so that the pulp moves away from the bone, and remove the upper half.
A nutritious breakfast can be prepared from a fruit cut in half. The fruit must be peeled from the bone, and the peel should be left. Crack one egg into each half. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish the finished dish with finely chopped parsley.
How to cut an avocado for sandwiches
Avocados are distinguished by their delicate, oily pulp, which is why sandwiches with it have a very unusual texture and taste. For cooking, you need to choose a fresh ripe fruit, wash it, peel it and peel it. Then take half of the fruit and cut into slices no more than 0,5 cm wide. Pieces of fruit are ideal for sandwiches with salmon and curd cheese, for which you will need ingredients:
- 250 g of red fish (slightly salted salmon or chum salmon);
- 150 g of curd cheese;
- 1 fresh cucumber;
- 1 avocado;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- bread for sandwiches;
- dill and lemon juice to taste.
First you need to mix cream cheese and herbs in a blender. Then peel the cucumber, grate it, remove excess juice and mix with cheese. Then add chopped garlic and salt. Fry the slices of bread a little in a frying pan without oil, put the fish on them. Top with cottage cheese and another piece of fish. Avocado, peeled and cut into slices, put on top of the fish and sprinkle everything with lemon juice.
For sandwiches, avocado is also used as a spread on bread. To do this, peel the fruit, divide it into two halves and, taking a small knife, then cut the flesh into squares, trying not to damage the skin.
Then all the pulp is pulled out with a spoon, crushed with a fork or using a blender. You will get a paste that can be seasoned with lemon juice and salt and spread on bread instead of butter. This is a great breakfast option for those who are on a diet or are fasting.
How to cut an avocado into a salad
Diced avocado pieces are often used in salads. To cut an avocado for salad, it must be peeled and boned. Then take one half of the fruit and chop into cubes of the desired size. So you can cook a salad with shrimp and yogurt, which will require:
- 450 g shrimp;
- 2 of Bulgarian peppers;
- 2 avocado;
- 1 cucumber;
- Xnumx cilantro;
- 100 g of cherry tomatoes;
- 100 g Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar;
- 1 clove of garlic.
Peel the shrimp and cook for no more than three minutes. Wash all the vegetables, chop the cilantro, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut avocado and cucumber into small cubes. Peel the pepper, divide into small slices and cut into cubes in the same way. For dressing, mix yogurt with apple cider vinegar and minced garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put all the vegetables in a deep bowl and mix with the sauce, and decorate with cilantro on top.
How to cut an avocado for rolls
A ripe and soft avocado is an important ingredient for making good rolls. To make the dish successful, you need to choose the right fruit. If you take an unripe fruit, it will be difficult to cut and spoil the taste.
In rolls, avocados are often cut into strips. To do this, you need to clean the fruit, divide it into two halves and remove the bone. Then take one piece and cut it. Peel the resulting quarters from the peel (you can cut it off with a knife or just pull it so that it separates from the pulp itself). After that, cut the halves into small strips. In this form, the fruit is used as a filling for vegetarian rolls or California. In addition, there are rolls in which the avocado is laid out on top. In this case, the peeled halves of the fruit are cut into thin slices. When cutting, you need to use a sharp knife, otherwise the pieces will turn out sloppy.
Useful Tips
Avocados come in many varieties and the color of the fruit can vary from green to brown. However, there is one rule for everyone: the darker the color of the peel, the more ripe the fruit will be. The softness of the fruit is an important criterion when choosing a good avocado. When pressing on the skin, it should sag, but easily return to its original shape. If the peel is too soft, this is a sign that the fruit may have been overripe and started to spoil near the pit. The stalk of a ripe fruit is dry and easily separated or absent altogether. The place of attachment of the stalk should also be soft.
Successfully choosing a ripe avocado the first time is a rather difficult task. Here you need some experience, as with watermelons and melons. Often, fruits that look ripe and fresh turn out to be rotten at the stone. This is due to improper transportation and storage of fruits in the store. In order not to be disappointed in the purchase, you can choose an unripe fruit and ripen it at home.
On plantations, avocados are harvested while still firm, and in the process of transportation they ripen. For home ripening, the fruit is placed in a paper bag or simply wrapped in paper and put away in a dark, cool place. Bananas can be put in one bag with avocados: they emit a special gas – ethylene, which speeds up ripening. But even without such “neighbors”, the avocado will ripen in 3-5 days.
If the fruits have been cut, but not yet peeled, then they can be stored for some time for further use. To do this, protect the pulp from darkening with lemon juice. After processing, the fruit is placed in a plastic container with a lid or wrapped in cling film and stored in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Learning how to peel an avocado is easy: for this you need to choose a ripe fruit in the store and arm yourself with a good knife. And the peeled pulp is nice to just eat or use in various dishes.