Avocados may be scrumptiously tasty, but the oh-so-healthy fruit is a notorious source of frustration in the kitchen. It usually takes days of patiently waiting for a rock-hard avocado to ripen \u2014 and then, it seems to go from perfection to mushy in mere minutes.\n
So, how can you extend the useful life of an avocado? That\u2019s just the kind of challenge made for the creative minds on TikTok. And they did not disappoint. (#savetheavocados)\n
A viral hack promises that avocados can be kept fresh for up to a month if they\u2019re submerged in water and stored in the fridge. Dunk \u2018em whole or cut in half! Either way, you\u2019ve got avocados for longer!\n
If that sounds too good to be true \u2026 well, it is. This seemingly helpful TikTok tip might as well be labeled as a how-to guide for potential food poisoning, states registered dietitian Carly Sedlacek, RDN, LD. Here\u2019s why.\n
To be clear, the answer to this question is a definite NO \u2014 an opinion shared widely by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the avocado storage hack began trending on social media.\n
It\u2019s not uncommon to find bacteria on the bumpy outer skin of an avocado. An FDA study detected Listeria monocytogenes on nearly 18% of tested fruit. Salmonella popped up on 0.74% of sampled avocados.\n
But wait! It gets worse! FDA researchers also found that keeping avocados in water allowed Listeria monocytogenes to permeate the fleshy pulp beneath the skin in some cases. (Even washing the avocado won\u2019t help at that point.)\n
\u201cIf you put your avocado in water, you\u2019re really just dropping it into a breeding ground for any bacteria that are present,\u201d says Sedlacek. \u201cThis TikTok hack is a recipe for foodborne illness. It\u2019s very, very bad.\u201d\n
Both types of bacteria can cause gastrointestinal mayhem such as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and other rather unpleasant symptoms.\n
You just returned home from the grocery store with a bag filled with firm avocados. Where should you put them to ripen? \u201cYour best bet is to leave them out on the counter,\u201d advises Sedlacek.\n
But make sure to check your avocados daily. (Remember, they can turn ripe in a jiffy!) Signs that an avocado is ready to eat include:\n
Skin color change. An avocado with bright green skin needs more time. Look for the skin to turn darker as the fruit ripens, says Sedlacek. Your avocado is ideal for use when the skin takes on a purplish hue. If the fruit looks black, it\u2019s overripe.\n
Softening. A ripe avocado will feel \u201ca little bit squishy\u201d when you apply slight pressure to the fruit, she adds. Wait to use an avocado if it feels like a rock. If it\u2019s downright mushy, it\u2019s past its prime.\n
Stem cap check. The little stem cap on top of an avocado should pop off easily when the fruit is ripe. The color beneath the cap hints at what the fruit looks like inside, too. Green is good. Brown means you may see some spots.\n
Once your avocado is ready to eat, placing it in the refrigerator can slow the ripening process. \u201cThat can buy you an extra day or two \u2014 but don\u2019t wait too long to use it,\u201d says Sedlacek.\n
Don\u2019t fear if you only used half an avocado this morning while making a slice of avocado toast. You\u2019ll be able to enjoy the rest of the fruit with tomorrow\u2019s breakfast if you take a few storage steps.\n
The creamy pulp of an avocado tends to gain unappetizing brown spots once exposed to the outside world. An enzyme in the fruit creates these splotches upon contact with air and oxygen.\n
Avocados aren\u2019t the easiest fruit around when it comes to preparation. That tough exterior skin needs to be removed, for starters. Then, there\u2019s the matter of extricating that pesky pit in the middle.\n
The task requires some deft work with a knife. Not everyone is up to the undertaking.\n
Avocado-related knife injuries send thousands of Americans to emergency rooms every year, studies show. It\u2019s become so common, there\u2019s even a name for the self-inflicted wound \u2014 \u201cavocado hand.\u201d\n
It\u2019s safe to say that people LOVE avocados \u2014 an opinion backed by massive sales increases in the United States over the past few years. Better yet, the nutrient-packed fruit qualifies as a superfood.\n
It\u2019s that healthy reputation that\u2019s been fueling interest in avocados. (Well, that and guacamole.)\n
Still, some people resist buying the fruit, with one of the most common reasons being how perishable it is. Nobody wants to drop a buck or two on an avocado only to watch it turn into a mushy mess.\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why you can understand how the TikTok hack became so popular,\u201d says Sedlacek. \u201cBut it\u2019s really not a good idea.\u201d\n
Source: health.clevelandclinic.org\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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