How To Use Your Fridge To Ripen Avocados Faster

We all know how frustrating it can be to wait for avocados to be ripe enough to eat — and half the time, we miss the small window of time in which they are perfectly ripe. Because of this, it's a good idea to know how to ripen avocados yourself so that you have more control over the situation and can enjoy those precious avocados. To find out the best way to do this, Tasting Table spoke with an expert. The expert in question is cookbook author Roberto Santibañez, who is the chef and owner of two Mexican restaurants, Mi Vida in Washington, D.C., and Fonda in New York City, both of which have multiple locations. 

Santibañez revealed a trick for speeding up the ripening process for avocados that are still a few days away from ripening on their own. The chef explained, "You can encourage those hard ones to soften by putting them in a closed paper bag and [placing] that bag on top of your refrigerator — the residual heat will accelerate the ripening."

So, that covers what to do to get them ripe enough to eat. But what should you do to keep an avocado fresh after you've already sliced it?

The other frustrating detail about avocados is keeping them fresh after you've already sliced one open — and, considering how filling they are, it's pretty common for one person to only use half an avocado at one time. Luckily, Santibañez has a tip for how to keep that second half fresh.

Santibañez said, "If you've already cut it and want to store the other half, tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap in the refrigerator will help to reduce the browning." The chef also noted that it's totally safe to eat if the avocado browns a little bit. He recommends eating the second half, browned or not, within the next day — and, if it is browned, you can just scrape that off with a knife.

Finally, what if you notice that an avocado is perfectly ripe but you're not ready to use it up yet? Santibañez advised, "If they're already ripe, the inside of the refrigerator is probably the best place for them for the next two or three days."