How to soften a cut avocado ( 5 ways)

In this brief guide, we will answer the question, ‘How to soften a cut avocado?’. An avocado that you have cut can ripen by conserving the ripening gas in a container. We will also discuss other quick methods to let you soften a cut avocado in an oven or microwave within an hour, if not minutes.

You can soften a cut avocado with a few techniques that we will discuss here. The following methods take a couple of days to work but ensure that the avocado stays in optimum condition.

Method 1

Put the cut pieces of avocado together to make it look like the avocado is still intact.

Fasten both the avocado pieces together with a rubber band, masking tape, or plastic wrap, whatever you have at hand.

 Seal it shut to prevent contaminants from entering the avocado, including; insects and other microorganisms. 

Put your avocado in the open air to let it ripen rather than inside a refrigerator. Gently poke the fruit every 12 hours to check if it has become soft enough to eat. You may need to wait for a week in some cases.

Method 2

Use lime or lemon to rub all over the cut avocado. Then put the cut avocado together to close it. Wrap it up in plastic and let it sit in the refrigerator for as long as it takes to ripen. 

If you need a quick fix for your unripe avocado, you could heat it in your microwave for a while. Even though doing so will tenderize the hard avocado, it will not taste as good as a fully ripe avocado. 

Before you proceed to heat your cut avocado in the microwave, pierce all over the surface with a fork. Also, remove the pit. Wrap the cut-up avocado in plastic and

let it microwave for 30 seconds on medium power. You can repeat this step as many times as you like; if you are still not satisfied with the texture of avocado. Take it out, gently squeeze and put it back into the microwave if necessary.

The method works by forcing the ethylene gas out of the avocado and causing it to tenderize within seconds. However, this quick fix comes with a cost, the avocado will not taste or feel as good as it should. It will also emit an unpleasant smell and, you can also expect nutritional losses to occur as well.

Method 3

Another efficient method that not only ripens the cut avocado but retains its nutrient. The conventional method calls for securing the avocado pieces in a paper bag to confine the fruit-ripening gas inside.

 Ensure there are no holes in the bag because we need to conserve as much ethylene gas from the fruit as possible. You can put a fruit such as a banana or an apple. Both of these fruits release a significant amount of ethylene gas during their lifespan. 

Leave the avocado in a paper bag for few days. Check up on the progress of your fruit frequently.

Method 4

Another method that you did not know about requires a little bit of flour and a paper bag. Fill the bottom of the paper bag with flour, put the avocado in, and seal the bag up.

The flour absorbs the moisture and protects the avocado from molds and pests. The entrapped ethylene gas in the paper bag speeds up the ripening process. 

Method 5

You can also use a baking oven to soften an avocado within minutes. Take an aluminum foil and wrap the avocado up tightly. Bake at 200 Fahrenheits in an oven-proof dish. Checkup on the avocado every five minutes.

If your avocado was very hard and unripe, it can take up to an hour in the oven. After you take it out, unwrap the avocado and put it in the fridge until you are ready to consume it.

Other FAQs about Avocado which you may be interested in.

Can you eat an overripe avocado? (3 Tips)

Can you eat an avocado with brown spots?

How to know if avocado is spoiled (5 easy methods)

How to make use of an unripe avocado?

However, there are ways to utilize a cut avocado that you discovered was unripe. Even though eating unripe avocado would bring you no harm, but it is devoid of its signature soft and velvety texture.

You can fry the unripe avocado by coating it up in eggs and breadcrumbs. Alternatively, use a tempura batter and then deep-fry your avocados. You could mash it up after you bake it in the oven and make it into a patty. 

Make it into a soup by adding some vegetables such as onions, carrots, herbs. Simmer it until the vegetables soften. Then blend the soup and add seasonings of your choice. Serve with some sour cream for a delicious and healthy experience.

In this brief guide, we answered the question, ‘How to soften a cut avocado?’. An avocado that you have cut can soften by conserving the ripening gas in a container. We discussed methods that let you soften a cut avocado in an oven or microwave within an hour, if not minutes.

Citations

https://delishably.com/vegetable-dishes/unripe-avocado

https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a27322534/how-to-ripen-avocado/

https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-ripen-avocados-quickly-in-a-microwave/

https://www.purewow.com/food/how-to-ripen-an-avocado