How-To: Cut an Avocado (Correctly)

Avocados really outdid themselves when they figured out how to become the focal point of Mexican, Asian and American dishes all at the same time – I mean really, who does that? Not to mention, they are a good fat! This is just getting silly.

What really blows people’s minds is when it comes down to A) picking out the right avocado and B) cutting them. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say they don’t cook with them because they simply don’t want to look ‘un-educated in the grocery store’. BUT, I can tell you how many times I have watched people cut them all sorts of wrong… too many times! That, my friends, is what inspired me to write today’s post! Why not share some avocado love by way of education?

Which brings me to my first point… Picking a good avocado. There is nothing worse than paying a $1.00+ per avocado to then arrive home and have them not be ripe or vice versa. So here are some things to look out for in your local produce section:

-Test out its firm-ness. Be sure it is firm, but not hard. On the flip side, if when you push on it your fingers make an indent – it’s probably a no go. If it is hard, it may be a good one to bring home and use in a couple of days. Side note: Resting an avocado on the windowsill will speed the ripening process up.

-Not sure your feelers will pick out the right one? I know the struggle is real. Flick off the stem and take a look inside. If you see a brown patch under the stem it's a little past its due date. If you see a nice yellow-green patch you have a perfectly ripe avocado.

Okay, now that you have THE perfect avocado, how do you cut it so that you will be the king or queen of next week’s salad club?

Slice the avocado lengthwise in half with a small sharp knife.

Carefully remove one of the halves so the pit remains in the other half. To remove pit, hold the avocado half securely and whack it with a large knife. Twist the knife gently and the pit should slip right out attached to the knife.

Start to slice inside the avocado length wise until you have even slits throughout (usually 5 slits will do on a normal sized avocado).

Next, slice inside the avocado width wise the opposite way - almost creating a checker board effect.

Grab a spoon or fork (whatever you fancy) and dump the contents into a bowl. WHA-LA! Just like that. The best part? No peeling action involved. You already have your chunks! 

Slices you ask? That will be for another post :)

What are your avocado secrets? Recipes? Please share!