The subtleties of choosing an avocado

The exotic fruit avocado is recognized as the most nutritious fruit, for which he was honored with a mention in the Guinness Book of Records. It contains so many vitamins and minerals that it has become referred to as a super food. But they fell in love with the overseas fruit not only for its benefits, but also for its unique taste and aroma. To some it resembles nuts, to others spicy herbs, to others it resembles pine needles. If you haven't tried avocado yet, you should definitely do so.

How to choose a really ripe fruit in order to feel the whole rich palette of taste. Consider the main features that distinguish a really ripe fruit, as well as other nuances of choosing an avocado.

This exotic fruit, which grows on Perseus americana trees, can look different: have an oval, spherical or pear-shaped shape. The shades of the peel are different and depend on the place of growth: from pale green to almost black. In the section, a stone is visible, which can occupy about half of the entire fruit, and light yellow pulp of an oily texture.

The fruits contain fiber, vitamins K, E, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, thiamine, retinol, pantothenic and folic acid, niacin. And the trace elements in it are just a storehouse: iron, calcium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, iodine, and this is not a complete list.

There are three groups into which all avocados are divided: Mexican, Guatemalan, West Indian.Of the 400 varieties of this exotic fruit, only three varieties are usually found on the shelves of our country: "California", "Florida" and "Pinkerton". The first one represents the Guatemalan group. These are the same almost black Haas avocados with very soft and oily contents.

"Florida" variety or "Hall" refers to the West Indian group. It often rains in its homeland, so such fruits have a fresher, sweeter taste, and the pulp is more watery. Smooth, light green, they are difficult to peel, have a medium-sized kernel, and the percentage of pulp in them is quite high. Hall's pulp does not fall apart when cut, so it is great for making rolls and salads. They are usually sold in winter.

"Pinkerton" in its properties is a cross between the other two varieties. Soups, smoothies, desserts are prepared from it. To some, its taste resembles meat, which is why it has gained popularity among vegetarians. The fruit is used instead of meat in various dishes. Important advantages of Pinkerton are its small bone and ease of cleaning; you can remove the peel from a ripe fruit with your hands.

As you have already learned, the choice of avocados largely depends on what kind of dish you want to cook from it. Different varieties have different properties. Now let's decide how to understand when buying a ripe fruit in front of us or not.

• The first thing to do is to press on the skin of the fruit. It should shrink a little, and then return to its original shape.If the fruit is unripe, then when pressed, the peel does not bend - it will need to be held for several days until ripening. On overripe fruits, on the contrary, dents remain.

• If you shake the fruit, you can hear the sound from the bone. If you didn’t hear anything like that, it means that the fruit is still too unripe or of poor quality.
• We determine the quality of the fruit in appearance. Examine the skin of the "alligator pear". It should have a uniform color without spots and dots. External damage is also undesirable.

Remember these simple rules - with the help of them you will choose only the most delicious avocados.

Finding a ripe, but not yet spoiled avocado is a great success. Most often, unripe specimens are on the shelves, so sellers insure themselves against losses, because ripe fruits quickly deteriorate. At home, they need to be kept in a cool place for a couple of days to let them ripen.

Many do not try to check the condition of the fetus when they buy it, and even when they begin to clean it. The fact that the fruit is unripe becomes clear only in the process of eating. Too hard pulp and its bitter taste indicate that the fruit clearly has not reached the desired condition.

If the fruit looks elongated in place of the stalk, then it has ripened on the tree, in natural conditions, and will be very good. Eat it right away before it goes bad, and keep only unripe fruit for storage.

Here are a few more tricks that alligator pear lovers should know.

• When you see that the fruit should lie down for another day or two, but you want to eat or cook it right now, put it in the oven for a few minutes. So the pulp will become softer and tastier. Before that, cut it into large pieces, sprinkle with lemon so that it does not darken and salt.
• If you have a night to ripen, then there is such a simple way: put the avocado in a paper bag along with bananas. Apples and pears are also suitable. It is believed that they can accelerate maturation, since they release a gas - ethylene.

• How to store chopped fruit. Place the pieces in the refrigerator in an airtight container with half an onion to help preserve freshness and color. You can also rub them with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. This will extend the life of the slices for at least a day. It is important not to store them in bowls of water - this will lead to rapid spoilage.
• Your avocado is overripe and no longer edible. Don't rush to throw it away. From the pulp you can make an excellent hair mask. Gather it up and distribute it through your hair with a sparse comb. After that, wash your hair thoroughly with shampoo.

For fans of a healthy lifestyle and even vegetarians, avocados are a valuable product. Even though it is a fruit, it contains a lot of protein. If we talk about people on a diet, then the overseas fruit becomes one of the products of choice for them. After all, adhering to a modest diet, they often receive less vitamins and nutrients.

Haas and Pinkerton are the most high-calorie - their nutritional value can reach 380 kcal per 100 grams of product.Despite the fact that all varieties of avocados have a low glycemic index (10 units), such a calorie content will not bring you closer to your goal - a lean body. Their Florida counterparts are best suited for dietary nutrition. Watery, tender and sweetish, they perfectly quench thirst and saturate the body with vitamins and microelements.

Usually avocados are cut lengthwise into two parts and the halves are turned in the opposite direction. After that, the bone is immediately removed from it, since it contains many toxins and, when interacting with air, they are actively released into the pulp of the fetus. A ripe specimen can be eaten directly from the resulting "boats" with a teaspoon.

Also, a ripe fruit can be peeled like this: make incisions on the halves that reach the peel, but do not pierce it through. After that, the halves are easily turned inside out, and the pulp is peeled off into a plate.

See the following video for how to peel and cut an avocado.

Everyone has already heard about cold and warm salads with this exotic product. We bring to your attention a variant of a vegetarian olivier, unusual in content and design, which is served directly in avocado halves. It will help diversify your healthy menu and will come in handy during fasting, because it does not contain any meat or seafood. For its preparation, it is better to choose the "Florida" avocado.

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 4 pcs.;
• carrots - 2 pcs.;
• pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.;
• avocado - 2 pcs. (one for the sauce);
• canned peas - 100 g;
• onions - 1 pc.;
• apple - 1 pc.;
• salt and herbs to taste;
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l.;
• vegetable oil - 100 ml.

Finely chop boiled potatoes, carrots, as well as cucumber, onion and avocado. We cut the apple very finely. Sprinkle fruit with lemon juice to prevent browning. Mix them in a bowl and add peas. Now let's prepare the sauce.

After cutting the second avocado in half, remove all the pulp from it with a spoon, without damaging the skin. Put it in a blender, add salt and lemon juice, you can sweeten it with sugar a little and beat. Now add vegetable oil and repeat the procedure. Combine the ingredients with the resulting sauce and put the salad in the "boats" of the peel of the fruit.

Speaking of avocado dishes, one cannot ignore the sauce recipe, which is so popular in the homeland of this fruit - in Mexico. This guacamole is versatile and varied in composition. It is not difficult to prepare it, it is enough to stock up on ripe fruits. Guacamole is eaten with tortillas (corn tortillas), chips, crackers. In addition, it is an unusual side dish for meat and fish, sauce for mashed potatoes and pasta.

Ingredients:

• olive oil - 5 tbsp. l.;
• chili pepper - 2 pcs.;
• avocado - 6 pcs.;
• spices - to taste;
• shallots - 2 pcs.;
• lime - 2 pcs.;
• cilantro - 2 bunches.

Divide the avocado into two halves and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Beat with a mixer until puree is formed. Remove the seeds from the chile and chop with a knife. Also finely chop the onion and herbs. Pour the lime juice into the resulting mass and combine it with olive oil and mix well.

An original, exquisite and beautiful appetizer - julienne in avocado. You can’t call this a dietary dish, but it is a great option for holidays and special occasions.You won't need much time to prepare it, but it will surely impress your household or guests.

Ingredients:

• avocado - 1 pc.;
• champignons - 200 g;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• cream 20% - 150 ml;
• grated cheese and spices to taste.

Cut the fruit of medium ripeness into two "boats" and remove the core. Carefully scoop out the pulp with a small knife or spoon and mash lightly. Fry the onion, mushrooms and avocado contents in oil for 5 minutes, pour over the cream. Salt and pepper, leave the mass to languish over low heat for about 5 minutes.

It remains to put it all in halves, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in the oven at 180 degrees. In 10 minutes, the exotic julienne will be ready.

It is very sweet but low in calories. All thanks to strawberries and honey - they make this drink as appetizing as a dessert. To keep slim, drink it instead of breakfast every morning.

Ingredients:

• lime - 1 pc.;
• fat-free yogurt, milk - 2 cups;
• mint - 8 sheets;
• strawberries - 600 g;
• honey - 2 tsp;
• avocado - 2 pieces;
• lemon juice - 4 tbsp. l.;
• gooseberries - 0.2 kg.

Prepare the pulp of a ripe avocado and put it together with the berries in a blender. Beat the mixture at low speed, gradually pouring in the yogurt. Now squeeze the lime juice and combine with the cocktail. Put the mint in there and add honey for taste, if it is hard, melt it a little before adding. Again, beat everything thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency.