The fastest and very easy way to remove the avocado stone, and then a couple of ideas on how to remove the peel and serve the pulp. And a word or two about the avocado itself.
A lot can be said about avocado, but for a start, you should know that it is a real treasure of health. We don’t use it much, because it’s not easy to find in stores, because of the price, and because of the unexpectedly neutral taste. It’s true!
For one fruit (and it is a fruit, although until recently I thought it was a vegetable), it has a very neutral taste. However, as soon as you add a few grains of salt, a little lemon juice or a drop of olive oil, its taste awakens and intensifies.
It is a fantastic addition to sandwiches, salads, a great base for various types of dips and sauces (eg guacamole), as well as sweet creamy treats, smoothies or chocolate shakes – sometimes responsible for the freshness and sometimes for the creamy texture … Anyway , one of my favorite foods!
I will mention only some basic characteristics of avocados, how to choose ripe enough, a word or two about how to store and use, and then, in the pictures, I will present the easiest way to remove the stone, remove the peel and serve the soft pulp …
Buying and storing avocados
To slow down the ripening process, the avocado is harvested while it is still very young. So while the fruits are very hard and lighter in color the rind. If you want to buy an already ripe avocado, the peel should be dark green (or dark purple to brown – if that is the case) and you can feel that it is partially soft under your fingers. If it is very soft, such a fruit is despised and do not buy it. In addition to the softness, you can check if it is overripe by removing the top (stalk) and if the part below is not green, but dark and brownish, the avocado is overripe and you will probably throw it away after opening.
If you buy unripe and hard avocado, then put it in a paper bag, close it and let it ripen at room temperature for 1-4 days. Check daily and when it is soft to the touch, it is ready to use. For faster ripening, put the avocado in a paper bag along with one ripe banana or apple. They will release ethylene, a natural plant hormone that is retained in a closed bag and affects the ripening of the unripe avocado fruit. It is best to store already ripe fruits in the refrigerator.
Shortly after cutting, the avocado pulp will begin to darken. We can slow down this process by adding acid and by protecting the open surface. If you use only half, do not remove the stone from the other half. Drizzle a few drops of lemon juice or lime juice, cover well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Of course, it is advisable to prepare the avocado just before serving.
Basic nutritional values
Avocado is a fantastic source of monounsaturated fatty acids, or “good fats”, which are also found in olive oil and nuts (as much as about 10g per 100g of fresh fruit). It is also a very rich source of the carotenoid lutein, which promotes eye health and reduces the risk of cataracts. It contains a significant amount of vitamin K, calcium (Ca) – important for bone health and strength, folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin C – protects the immune system, vitamin E and other important nutrients. Nutritional values per 100g look like this: it contains 160kcal, 14.6g of fat (of which as much as 10g of monounsaturated fatty acids), 2g of protein, 8.5g of carbohydrates, of which as much as 6.7g of fiber (fantastic for our digestive system).
Avocado oil is great for skin care – it prevents drying and maintains skin elasticity.
It only remains to deal with the techniques of cleaning and cutting avocados:
How to remove an avocado stone?
There are several ways to remove a large avocado stone, but this one is, in my opinion, the easiest and cleanest.
You need a larger knife to cut the fruit in the middle. Go deep until you feel a hard seed, then turn the avocado in your hand until you cut it completely in half. Take the halves with your hands and turn them in the opposite direction. Separate them.
In my opinion, the safest way to remove a hard seed is to leave that half on the board – remove your hands. Grasp the knife firmly and stab it lightly somewhere in the middle of the bone. You can also do this by putting an avocado in your hand – which is dangerous and I don’t recommend, or by putting a folded cloth in your hand and then an avocado – it’s already too much preparation!
Turn the knife counterclockwise and pull it out. Since the bone is slippery, the easiest way to remove it from the knife is to attach it to the edge of the sink.
Several ways to clean and serve avocados
1.Cutting it directly
You can cut the avocado pulp directly in the shell, and then just take it out with a spoon and put it directly in the bowl. For this step, you can, even much easier, use a small knife with a sharp tip.
Use a knife to cut a few longitudinal lines, and then a few transverse ones, so that you get cubes of the desired size. Underline the spoon – first at the edges and when you are sure that the pulp has separated from all sides, pull it out of the shell.
2.Longitudinal slices
Apply the same procedure if you want longitudinal slices – in this form they are ideal for sandwiches. It is usually necessary to incise thinner lines.
3.Pull the pulp out way
Another way is to pull the pulp out with a spoon whole and then chop it the way you need it or mash it for sauces or smoothies.
In addition to these ways of cutting, it is possible to take out smaller pieces with a spoon and use them for salads. You can watch this and several other cutting procedures, as well as the stone extraction procedure in the video: Jamie Oliver talks to you through preparing an avocado. We all know Jamie, he talks a lot in the video, so if you don’t understand English, turn off the tone and watch … 🙂
This recipe is so quick and easy I was able to able to do it while I had plumbers over fixing a clogged pipe, thanks Fresno Plumbing.