How to ripen an avocado (without ruining it)

Most of the avocados sold in supermarkets are picked rock-hard so they survive the supply chain. The catch is they ripen unevenly and unpredictably once they’re home: too fast on the counter, never on the fridge shelf.

Here’s how to ripen one properly, and how to tell when it’s actually ready.

The brown-paper trick

Put the hard avocado in a brown paper bag with a banana or an apple. Fold the top of the bag once, but not tight. Leave it on the counter at room temperature. Don’t refrigerate.

The banana releases ethylene, the gas that ripens fruit. The paper bag traps it loosely. Bananas can speed an avocado up by 24–48 hours; an apple is gentler and takes 48–72 hours.

Don’t use a plastic bag. It traps moisture and the avocado will spoil before it ripens.

How to tell when it’s ready

The shake test, not the squeeze test. Hold the avocado at your ear and shake it gently. If you can hear the stone moving against the flesh, it’s overripe. Eat it today, or tomorrow it’s brown.

If it gives slightly under gentle palm pressure (not fingertip; that bruises) and doesn’t rattle, it’s perfect. Cut it now.

The little stem cap on top is the giveaway too. Flick it off. If the patch underneath is bright green, it’s ripe. Yellow-green, give it another day. Brown, you’re too late.

Storing a ripe one

Once it’s ripe, the fridge buys you 2–3 days. Whole, unpeeled, in the crisper. Don’t peel and wrap; you’ll lose half the flesh to oxidation and the other half to it being depressing.

If you’ve already cut it: leave the stone in, brush the cut face with lemon or olive oil, press cling film directly onto the flesh, and refrigerate. Good for 24 hours.

A note on the price

Avocados swing in price wildly through the year. We sell them at honest cost. When WA growers in Manjimup and the Margaret River region are at peak (May to September), they’re cheap and excellent. In summer, when WA supply tightens, we’ll bring in interstate or imported fruit so the bench keeps moving, but we’ll always favour WA when it’s there, and price the tray accordingly.

If you want to plan: stock up in winter, eat them within the week, and freeze the flesh for smoothies (yes, you can).

The Fruit Basket