The Foolproof Guide to Ripe Avocados

Sigh… another Super Bowl Sunday come and gone. I honestly love the camaraderie of this cultural holiday. There’s something for everyone: focusing on the football game, ranking the commercials, shushing the room emphatically during the halftime show, placing (responsible) bets, or predicting what memes of players’ faces will be trending tomorrow. But no matter what captivates your attention on the TV, the spread everyone really cares about is the food, not the money line.

There’s an endless list of classic dishes you can serve, but a great guacamole is always high on my list. It’s a delicious way to balance out the smorgasbord of fried food with some fresh ingredients. (We’re talking purely variety for your taste buds, I’m not claiming you can count it as a serving of veggies just because it’s green.)

There’s only one problem – how on earth are you supposed to reliably find perfectly ripe, flavorful avocados in the middle of winter?

My secret is three simple words: brown paper bag.

Avocados, along with bananas, apples, and kiwi, release a plant hormone called ethylene gas as they ripen. Storing avocados in a brown paper bag with the top folded over traps the gas and keeps it circulating around the avocados to accelerate the ripening process. Not only will the paper bag method speed up the timeline, but I’ve also found it leads to avocados that are more consistently soft and rich in flavor instead of mealy and watery. Unripe avocados (think as green and tough as the Hulk) typically take about 4 days to reach peak ripeness, whereas avocados that are close (greenish-brown on the outside and still firm to touch) peak after 1-2 days in the bag. Including a banana with the avocados will speed up the process even further by roughly 24 hours.

One important thing to note: any old paper bag will do, but a plastic bag is NOT a suitable replacement! Paper bags allow for some airflow, which prevents excessive moisture from building up. Plastic bags on the other hand block airflow and trap moisture which halts ripening and usually leads to rot, the opposite of what we want. Trying to ripen avocados in the oven also is a non-starter. Baking an unripe avocado cooks the fruit rather than ripening it with ethylene gas – the result will be slimy and tasteless.

You’ll know your avocado is perfect when the exterior is dark brown and the fruit is firm but your thumb leaves an imprint when you press it in gently. Think of the pliability of playdoh back in childhood: it should feel as though you could smush it in your hand if you squeezed too hard but is strong enough to stay intact under mild pressure (i.e. rolling around in your shopping bag).

My shopping strategy is to buy a few avocados, each at a different stage of ripeness, and enjoy them one at a time as they peak rather than rush through a whole bunch at once. That being said, storing ripe avocados in the fridge will pause the ethylene gas release and keep them delicious for approximately a week.

The paper bag method can help you defy the seasons and enjoy all the healthy fats and flavor of avocados no matter what the weather is outside. Stay tuned for my unbeatable guacamole recipe and more science-based tips to cook smarter, not harder!