In order to learn how to ripen an avocado in the microwave, you do not have to enroll in culinary school. This is because it is very easy. All you need to learn is a few tricks for the trade. In this article, I’ll be giving you tips on what to do if you ever found yourself needing to ripen a hard avocado in just 10 minutes or less. I will also be including tips and tricks as well as pros and cons on how to ripen an avocado in the microwave. So roll your sleeves and let’s begin!
How to Ripen an Avocado in the Microwave
The first step to be taken is to cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Once you have done that, wrap each half with microwave-safe plastic wrap and cook for 30 second intervals on medium-high, or better still, until you achieve your desired softness. Be sure to check softness between each interval. Now once it has become cool enough to handle, carefully unwrap halves and place them in the refrigerator for approximately 6 minutes. Note that you can allow for an additional 2 to 3 minutes for very hard avocado.
How to ripen an avocados in 24 hours
According to research, avocados are highly nutritious, tasty, versatile and a perfect addition to a lot of recipes. You probably find it annoying when most times you go to the shop and after checking out the pile on offer, you discover that they are all rock hard. Hence, if you need the avocado for the same day, you find it very frustrating having to wait days for them to ripen properly. Ideally, an under-ripe avocado only takes a few days to get to the point where its flesh becomes edible, but if you are unable to wait that long, there are ways by which you can easily ripen the avocados quickly and most importantly effectively in time for using, be it same day or perhaps the next day. Let’s see some of these methods below.
1. The paper bag method (and a banana)
The paper bag method is by far one of the most common methods to ripen avocados in just 24 hours. By using the ethylene gas that fruit give off to ripen, adding a banana helps to speed up the ripening process over 24 hours!
However, it is necessary to note that any fruit can be used but a banana works more effectively. All you need to do is to get a paper bag, as well as a banana and of course, your avocado.
Now place the avocado inside the bag together with the banana and once you have done that, loosely close the paper bag up.
Leave the bag in a warm place. I recommend you leave it in places like a windowsill or better still, by the oven.
After around 12 to 24 hours, check the avocado for ripeness.
At this point, you will see that the banana has turned brown quite quickly.
2. The salt method
The salt method is yet another amazing trick to ripen your avocado in just 24 hours. It is a very easy method. All you need is salt!
Here’s the procedure:
First, cut around the top of the stem of your unripened avocado. This is done so as to create a small opening.
Once you have done that, pour sea salt into the opening and re-add the cut out piece like a lid.
Your avocado will definitely be ready to be consumed or used for your unique tasting recipe by the next day.
How to ripen an avocado immediately
If you need a soft avocado for your unique tasting recipe, and perhaps you do not have any at hand, you can easily soften your hard avocado immediately and prepare it to be ready for use. Below are some of the methods you can easily adopt.
1. The oven method
The oven method is considered a great method. This is because it allows you to ripen the avocado in minutes so that it becomes ready for use the same day.
All you need to do is to get your under-ripe avocado and wrap it in aluminium foil.
Once that is done, pop it in the oven at 200 degrees C or 100 degrees F for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Take it out carefully as it will be a little hot and open it up. Once opened, you will notice that it will have ripened nicely for you to use as soon as possible.
2. The pea method
The pea method is yet another unique method to deal with under-ripe avocado. When you are in a hurry to use your avocado and you cannot wait until the next day, you can use them with peas. The peas helps to soften the avocado but does not change the taste, so therefore, it is most likely considered a perfect and quick way to use your unripe avocado.
This method is very easy as all you need to do is to cut open the avocado and take out the flesh.
Once you have done that, put it into a blender and add just a cup of thawed, frozen peas or fresh peas, and blend it for a few seconds until it becomes smooth.
How to mash avocado
Did you know that mashed avocados are good for more than just guacamole? This is because their creamy texture as well as their rich flavor is more than perfect for making pasta sauces. Not only that, it is also interesting to note that they can be used as a spread on toast. Therefore, if you begin with the right avocado, mashing it is very easy to do. You can try an avocado with a particularly buttery consistency, for example a Hass avocado. Be sure that it is ripe. When it is ready to be mashed, it is important that it should be slightly soft when you give it a light squeeze, and the stem nub at the end should pop right off. This is so because a soft avocado can be easily mashed.
Let’s see the procedures below:
1. Place the avocado on a cutting board on its side and hold it tightly in place with your left hand. Do this by keeping your left fingers and thumb tucked safely in. Now with your right hand, carefully cut it lengthwise. When you get to the pit, you are to go around it with the tip of your knife rather than cutting through. Carefully turn the avocado over so as to make sure that you cut all the way through from top to bottom.
2. Pick up the avocado and hold it in both your hands, with the cut you made in the middle. Now twist the two halves in opposite directions, this will make them pop apart with the pit staying lodged in one of them.
3. Using a tablespoon, smack the pit to loosen it up, once that is done, use that spoon to dig around it and pop it out. You can do this over the garbage can by pointing the pit downward; this is so because once it is loose, it may come out more faster than you expect.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out all of the meat and drop it into a mixing bowl. You can as well decide to loosen it up first. Do this by cutting a criss-cross pattern in the meat with a knife, once that is done, scoop it out along the scored lines.
5. The next step to take is to squeeze a little fresh lime juice on the avocado meat in your bowl. It is important to note that avocados start to brown quickly once they are exposed to the air. A sprinkle of lime juice however helps it stay fresh for a longer period of time. You won’t be needing more than one half or perhaps one quarter of a lime.
6. Mash the avocado. You can either use a fork or a potato masher. Mashing and stirring the avocado with a fork will leave the avocado meat chunkier, which a lot of people prefer for their guacamole. However, it is necessary to note that a potato masher will give it a smoother as well as a creamier consistency, which is by far better to be used as a spread or better still as an ingredient in recipes.
Basic requirements:
1. Cutting board
2. Vegetable knife
3. Tablespoon
4. Mixing bowl
5. ½ lime
6. Fork
7. Potato masher
Microwave avocado egg
Did you know that avocado eggs are richly endowed with healthy fats as well as protein and a low carb? You can as well support it with your favorite topping and enjoy with either breakfast, lunch or even dinner. It is a type of recipe that seems almost impossible but it actually works! The delicious tasting and creamy avocado put together with the running egg is something very nutritious. Roll your sleeves and let’s begin the training process on how to make this wonderful recipe.
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 25 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1. 2 avocado
2. 4 eggs
3. ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4. Salt to taste
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut the avocado in half and then carefully remove the pit. Once that is done, scoop out 1 to 2 spoonfuls of avocado in order to create a bigger whole. This is done because you need the whole egg to fit inside. Now keep that avocado, you can serve it on the side.
3. Carefully place the avocado in a baking dish. Once that is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Now carefully break the egg into the avocado and then season with a little more salt and pepper as well as the red pepper flakes to ensure it maintains a delicious taste.
4. Now bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes until the egg whites are set but yolks are still runny.
Boiled avocado
According to research, avocados are said to be endowed with some healing properties as well as qualities that improve helps to improve the body’s well-being. However, it has also been noted that avocado pits most especially have been used to create hair treatments as well as poultices for bodily discomforts. Although it can be difficult to work with these seeds because of their solid composition, you can as well grate and cook them in order to make them more useful and manageable for your healing recipes.
How to boil avocado
1. Cut the avocado in half using a knife. Make sure you handle the fruit carefully while you are cutting it, this is so because the insides can be very slippery. Now cut or scoop out the pit in the middle and wash off any excess avocado flesh. Also pat the seed dry.
2. Grate the avocado pit into small pieces. Be sure to hold the pit firmly in your hand and then apply it somehow forcefully to the grater. Although this might be a little difficult as it is not always easy to hold onto the hard, small seeds. Just make sure to keep a tight grip and then take your time to grate the seed into a pile of slivers. Repeat this procedure as needed.
3. Measure out the necessary amount of water into the pot and bring the water to boil. Once that is done, add the grated pit pieces to the water.
Can you eat an unripe avocado?
You can eat an unripe avocado but you won’t get the same creamy texture as well as the flavor compared to a ripened one. I therefore recommend that you eat a ripe avocado. You can as well speed up the ripening process by placing it in a brown paper bag with banana for two to three days until they are ripe.
