Let’s face it – avocados turn mushy faster than cost-of-living prices climb.
Yes, they’re delicious, but nursing them until they’re at the perfect level of ripeness is a delicate dance.
And with fruit and veggie prices on the rise, we really can’t afford to be chucking those bad boys in the bin a few days after buying them.
Thankfully, a woman has shared a simple hack that’ll make your avos last longer and reduce food waste in the process.
Hot tip: With avocados at their peak at the moment, why not stock up and try this out?
You and your avocado-toast habit will thank us later.
The simple hack to make avocados last longer
Posting to the Delish Recipes Family Facebook page, a woman shared a photo of an aluminum foil-lined tray with mounds of avocado on it.
She explained, “I’ve started freezing avocado! I mash them up and I use a small cookie scoop then freeze!”
Yep, that’s right. You can freeze avocado, ready to be transformed into guacamole, smoothies or a spread at a moment’s notice.
She continued, “They don’t turn brown AT ALL and when they firm up in a few hours I throw them in a big ziplock bag. I don’t add anything to them.
“No more nasty brown color or throwing expired ones away. I freeze about two bags at a time. They thaw beautifully too. Try it!”
People sounded off in the comments.”This is genius,” one said.
Another wrote, “I’m definitely going to try this out!”
“Genius! I had no idea you could do this,” shared someone else.
Tips for perfecting the avo freezing hack
To find out more about perfecting the hack, we chatted to Kidspot’s Kitchen editor, Liz, aka. an avocado aficionado.
“When freezing avocado, make sure the avos are just ripe, if you wait till they are very soft (ready-to-eat) the flesh will become too mushy when defrosting,” she explained.
In terms of freezing time, she said you can store frozen avo flesh for up to one month in an airtight container.
To master the process, she says to, “Freeze scoops/slices/diced avo on a baking paper lined tray for about two-three hours or until firm, then transfer it to a snap lock bag or airtight container. A bag is good cause you can remove more air which keeps the avo frozen in a better state.”
One thing she said to be wary of is that the avos can go a touch brown upon defrosting, so you can sprinkle them with a little lemon or lime juice before freezing to counteract this.
“Once thawed, you really need to use them straight away. It’s not something you can then put in the fridge for use later/the next day,” she said.
“Thaw overnight in the fridge or if in an airtight container, you can leave it in a bowl of cold water for 30-40 minutes and this will help soften the frozen avo,” she added.
“Also, the texture of the avo does change slightly after freezing, it becomes softer and wetter, so best used in mashing or blending. They also lose a touch of their creamy texture.”