This article was written by Lisa Elaine Held and repurposed with permission from Well+Good.
Here are five avo hacks from Star healthy chef Pati Jinich you need to try if you’re an avo queen!

1. Test It With Your Hands

Ripe avocados have a stronger smell, but you really need to pick them up to assess their readiness. When they’re ripe, they’ll be almost entirely black and soft to the touch. If the avo seems too mushy, put it right back.

2. Choose a variety of ripeness levels

A big bag full of fresh, ripe avocados at a bulk price is tempting, but unless you’re making a tub of guacamole for a big party, it’s not worth it. You could buy one for the week. Look for green and rock-hard (for the end of the week) and ripe and soft (for tomorrow). That way, the batch will ripen gradually and you can have perfect avos every day of the week.
Read More: Ripen Your Avo In 10 Minutes!

3. Keep whole avocados out of the Fridge

Generally, you shouldn’t refrigerate avocados if you want them to be perfectly ripe and delicious, but if one is already mushy and you’re not quite ready to eat it, stick it in the fridge to prevent it from going bad. On the other side of the spectrum, if you want the green ones to ripen faster, put them in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper, with a banana.

4. Squeeze The Pit Out

Chefs will generally tell you the best way to cut open an avocado is to slice the skin around the fruit vertically to create two halves, and then quickly chop the blade of the knife into the pit and twist it gently to remove it cleanly from the flesh. But there’s no need to be fancy, you can also just gently squeeze the avocado half with the pit until it pops out, or push the side of the pit with the tip of a spoon.
Read More: Should We Eating The Avocado Seed?

5. Wrap it tight (or squeeze citrus over it) to preserve

If you’ve already opened one and now have a half that’s practically threatening to turn brown, wrap it super tightly with plastic wrap, pressing it as close to the flesh as you can before sticking it in the fridge. You can also rub a little lemon or lime onto the flesh – the acidity will help it stay fresh and green, and you’ll get a little complementary flavour when you’re ready to enjoy it.
Looking for more healthy ways to use an avocado? Try these delicious avocado smoothie recipes or this avocado cheesecake recipe.