All You Need Is Newspaper To Ripen Your Avocado Faster

Chances are you've seen this scene before: You agree to bring the guacamole to your friend's potluck party, but when you go to the store to get your ingredients, all you find are green, rock-hard things trying to pass for avocados. You squeeze a few of them to check for ripeness, but you still come up empty. Before you run to the freezer aisle, don't panic. All you need to get perfectly ripe avocados is a little planning and a few sheets of newspaper to wrap them up. Store the wrapped fruit (yes, avocados are fruit) in a paper bag on the kitchen counter, or even inside the oven. They should be ripe and ready to mash within three to six days.

This is not a magic trick, but merely a chemical process. Wrapping the avocados in newspaper will trap the ethylene gas that triggers ripening, so your avocados will ripen faster, about a couple of days before they would naturally ripen on the countertop or store shelf. This is why it's suggested to look in the bottom of the pile while selecting them at purchase time. This trick also works with stone fruits like plums and peaches, pears, mangos, and tomatoes. If you need to accelerate the process, try adding a ripe banana to the bag. Since ripe bananas release a large amount of ethylene, it could help ripen your avocados faster. And no, you can't use a microwave to accelerate the process, and apparently submerging them in rice doesn't work either.

Avocados will be ready to eat when their skin is bumpy, ranging from dark green to nearly black in color, but it's always best to check for ripeness by touch. They should give a little when gently pressed, which is best done at the stem end. Avoid fruit with visible dents or a mushy texture, as these are signs of an overripe fruit. Once ripe, there are a few ways to store whole avocados properly, but it's best to eat them as soon as possible. Planning ahead when you need to use them is a wise idea. 

You can store cut avocados in the refrigerator but plan to use them within a day or two at max, as avocado flesh will oxidize quickly in contact with air. Wrap them in plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container. You can rub them with a little lemon or lime juice or olive oil, or add a cut raw onion to the container to prevent oxidation. Be sure to store avocados cut side down to reduce exposure to oxygen. With so many clever ways to use them, it's probable you won't need to store them for long.