How to Prepare an Avocado
with
redelman
Avocados are a versatile fruit found in many dishes, from appetizers to desserts. This video will discuss how to choose a ripe avocado or how to ripen them at home by placing them in a paper bag, adding a citrus fruit to quicken the process
Transcript: How to Prepare an Avocado
On screen: Hi, I am Rachel Edelman, for About.com Food. Today I m going to talk about avocados. They are very popular in all kinds of dishes, from appetizers to desserts. I m going to show you step by step how to cut an avocado, sharing some tips about the fruit along the way.Narration:
All you need to get started is a large knife, a small knife and a large spoon.
An avocado is ripe when ________it is a dark purple color and soft to the touch. To ripen avocados at home, you can place them in a paper bag with 1 or 2 ripe apples.
First rinse the avocado under water.
For your first cut, you can either hold the avocado in your hand, or place it on the cutting board. Cut through the center of the avocado until you come in contact with the pit. Rotate the knife and avocado, cutting around the pit until you ve come back to where you started.
Twist the pieces slightly to separate the two halves.
Take the half with the pit onto a hard surface, pit side up. With some force, strike the pit with the blade of the knife. It should feel stuck in the pit. Pick up the avocado and twist the knife and pull it away. There goes your pit. After you gain some confidence with this, you could do this whole step right in your hand!
At this point, some people might just scoop it out and eat it. To take out the edible part, the pulp, insert a spoon between the skin and the pulp. Gently remove the pulp by running the spoon around the edge keeping it as close to the skin as possible. Scrape out any parts that didn t make it.
Now that your avocado s skin has been removed, you can slice your avocado. Cut off any discolored spots. Then with your short knife, start at the top of the avocado and at a 45 degree angle, cut inward and down the pulp. Continue to slice the avocado, moving around the top at an angle.
To chop your avocado, cut across your slices 2-3 times.
For small, less perfect pieces, you can chop your avocado right in the skin, and then use your spoon to remove the pieces.
To mash your avocado, use your fork to smash the pulp right in your bowl.
You ve got to be quick when working with avocado because it discolors as its exposed to the air. If you re not using it right away, cover it in plastic wrap.
Onscreen:
Avocados are also a great source of monosaturated fats – or healthy fats, so enjoy! Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at Food.about.com.