How to ripen an avocado at full speed

Avocado is one of the most coveted foods for its health benefits and for its versatility in the kitchen. You can take it both for breakfast and in any meal or recipe. And it works especially well in salads or as a snack in the form of guacamole or pâté. However, sometimes it is difficult to find it at its point and, consciously or unconsciously, we end up buying it green. Can you do anything to ripen an avocado ahead of time? The answer is yes.

Ways to speed up avocado ripening

With paper and apples. The most natural method (but also the slowest) is to cause it to rust at full speed. How? Putting it in a brown paper bag or wrapping it in newspaper alongside bananas, apples, or even tomatoes. These fruits give off ethylene gas that causes the acceleration of the ripening of fruits and vegetables. This is the method that best preserves all its properties and without altering its flavor at all. However, for the avocado to be ready, you will need a few days.
In the microwave. If you need to get it done at full speed, one method that works quite well is to ripen it in the microwave. With skin and all, puncture it in several places. Put it in a microwave safe container or with the protective plastic hood to prevent it from exploding when heated. Put it at full power for 30 seconds, check how it is, and it is still very hard, heat up 30 seconds more. Let it cool down and use it in the usual way.
In the oven. Another possibility is to wrap it in aluminum foil, and bake it at 180º for about 10 minutes or so. Then, wait for it to cool completely, remove the aluminum foil and you are ready to use it as it suits you.

How to know if an avocado is ripe

The first thing to keep in mind is that the darker the avocado's skin, the more ripe it will be, and the softer it will be, too. However, so as not to go around fingering all the avocados in the supermarket, there is an infallible trick to know if it is ready.

You just have to remove the tail that is at the end that was attached to the plant and see what color is the hole where it was.