Today's Kitchen Tip: Picking avocados

I love avocados in many things.  But how do you know which ones are 'ripe for the picking'? 

The store display shows some that are dark, medium and even green in color.  Which is right?

This avocado is ready
to use today.

It depends upon when you are going to use them.  If you are going to use them today, you want one that is nice and dark like the photo.  It should have a little 'give' when you touch it, but not be so soft that it feels mushy.  When you cut it open, it should be perfectly green like the one shown in the photo.

If an avocado is still green, you can keep it at home for several days before you have to use it.  Depending upon how green it is, you may want to store it in a paper bag to help ripen it sooner.  I have had some that took a week to ripen.  Unfortunately, I needed it in 3 days, so the brown paper bag option worked well.

Once your avocado is ripe, use it soon or it will turn black and mushy inside.  You can store it in the refrigerator for a few days if you are not ready for your avocado when it is ready.