Should Avocados Be Refrigerated?
Walking down the produce aisle at the grocery store, you'll always find avocados kept at room temperature. When you get home, you may immediately put your avocados in your fruit bowl or you may place them in the crisper box. Do you have a reason behind your actions or is it simply a matter of personal preferences? If you've ever put rock-hard avocados in the fridge with plans to make guacamole within a week's time only to find the avocados are still not quite ripe, the coolness of the refrigerator would be the reason why.
The ripeness of your avocado and when you plan to eat it will guide you on whether placing it in the fridge is a good idea.
Related: Chunky Guacamole
To Refrigerate Or Not To Refrigerate?
Should you refrigerate avocados? The answer is: It depends. These are questions you need to ask yourself before automatically placing them in the fridge or leaving them on the kitchen counter: How ripe is your avocado? When do you hope to eat it?
This is because refrigeration slows down the ripening process. If you're waiting for your avocados to ripen so you can scoop out the delicious green flesh to make a bowl of guacamole or to chop up for your salad, the best spot is to leave them on the kitchen counter. Avocados ripen when kept at room temperature.
But if you have the opposite scenario – you have a ready-to-eat avocado and you're not going to be eating it the same day or the next, putting it in the fridge will slow down the avocado from continuing to ripen. The fridge will extend the shelf-life of your ripe avocado. Typically, a ripe avocado can last around five days before it gets too ripe and is better for your compost bin.
How To Store Avocados
Any avocados that you want to ripen should be kept at room temperature on the counter or in a fruit bowl.
Ripe avocados should be placed in the fridge in the crisper drawer. Ripe avocados can typically last up to a week when they are kept cool.
Tips For Storing Cut Avocados
After you've cut the avocado in half, squeeze lemon juice over it to prevent the top layer of flesh from browning.
Leave the pit in the avocado to protect the flesh from being exposed to air, which causes avocados to brown.
Wrap the avocado in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight food-safe container.
Keep it in the fridge and make sure to use it within a few days.
Related: 14 Creative Ways To Use Avocado for Your Next Meal or Party
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