How to cook avocados

The avocado is a pear-shaped fruit with skin that can be thick or thin, green or purplish black, and smooth or bumpy, depending on the variety. The flesh of the avocado is pale yellow-green and has the consistency of firm butter and a faint nut-like flavor.

Family – Lauraceae
Scientific name – Persea americana

Common name – avocado, alligator pear

Rich source of monounsaturated fat
Good source of fiber

Avocado varieties

The two most commonly sold varieties of avocados in the United States are the Hass and Fuerte, both grown in California. The Guatemalan Hass avocado, the most popular variety, has a thick, pebble-textured and purplish skin and usually weighs no more than 12 ounces. The Fuerte avocado, a Guatemalan-Mexican hybrid, has a more pronounced pear shape and is slightly larger than the Hass. It has a shiny, thin, dark-green skin with small, raised, pale spots. Florida-grown varieties, which are Mexican in origin and include the Booth, Waldin, and Lula, are larger, less costly, and more perishable than California avocados. In addition, they contain less fat and fewer calories and lack the rich, creamy flavor of the California varieties.

Avocado origin and botanical facts

The avocado, native to the tropics and subtropics of Central America, was first cultivated in the United States in the mid-1800s in Florida and California. Ninety percent of today’s domestic crop of avocados is grown in California. With a harvest of 168,000 tons, the United States is the second-largest grower of avocados in the world, behind Mexico at 718,000 tons.

The avocado tree, a popular shade tree in rural and suburban Hawaii, California, and Florida, is a dense evergreen that may reach a height of 80 feet.

Avocados do not ripen on the tree; ripening is inhibited by hormones produced by the leaves. This delay in ripening is a commercial advantage because the fruit may be left unharvested for long periods (up to 7 months). However, overripe avocados may seed internally and become moldy.

How to cook avocados

Avocados that are unblemished and heavy for their size are best. Ripe avocados yield slightly to finger pressure, but if the finger leaves a dent, the avocado may be overripe. Ripening can be hastened by enclosing the fruit in a paper bag and leaving at room temperature. Ripe avocados should be refrigerated and used within 1 to 2 days.

Because cooking destroys the flavor of avocados, it is not recommended. Fresh avocados can be sliced and added to cooked dishes just before serving. They can be diced and mixed into salads, mashed to use in toppings or dips, pureed to use in cold soups and desserts, or julienned to include in sushi rolls. When exposed to air, avocado flesh discolors quickly. Addition of lemon or lime juice to mashed or puréed avocados can delay discoloration. Placing an avocado pit in a bowl of mashed avocados will not prevent discoloration.