The Safest Ways To Remove The Pit Of An Avocado

Avocado-related knife injuries have taken the country by storm, accounting for nearly 9,000 emergency department visits in 2018 alone (via Insider). According to a study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, the trend correlates with the fruit's rise in popularity over the last decade. The injury, characterized by deep cuts to the fingers, wrists, and palms of the non-dominant hand, has become so common that it's been recognized by doctors as "avocado hand."

Avocado hand happens to the best of us and usually occurs either when your knife slips or completely misses the pit in an attempt to remove it; or after the pit has been removed (via Healthline). Whether you go a little too far preparing slices for your avocado toast or snag your finger removing the pit from the knife, avocado hand is preventable. You can forget the knives and save yourself a trip to the emergency room with these two full-proof techniques that remove sharp objects altogether.

When it comes to kitchen utensils, it's no debate that spoons have the best reputation. Their unintimidating-ly smooth edges are comforting and reassure you that, by the end of your meal, all 10 of your fingers will remain. Not only are spoons the chosen vehicle for some of the coziest foods like soup and ice cream, but they've found a way to save you from the villain that is "avocado hands."

So, instead of grabbing a knife and hacking away at the pit, you can delicately scoop the pit out using a spoon (via Love One Today). You may find it easier to use a smaller spoon with a pointier tip for this technique rather than a soup spoon. But either way, to remove the pit from avocados, you'll simply situate the edge of the spoon underneath the narrower side of the pit, gently lift it out of the fruit, and voila — you have a perfectly pitted avocado and all of your fingers to show for it.

What's more trusty than your own hands? You have them for a reason, and you might as well use them. TikTok user Lily Roelofs went viral in a video demonstrating how she removes avocado pits with her hands. For this technique, you can forget the utensils and use your fingers instead — your thumb, index, and pointer finger, to be exact. By placing your thumb on the backside of the avocado and your two fingers on either side of the pit, you can use your thumb to gently push the pit from the outside without puncturing the fruit's skin. But beware, there may be flying avocado pits involved. Well + Good even tested the trick on avocados of five ripeness levels, and it was effective for all five. If you have a ripe avocado and don't mind messing up the aesthetics, you can also squeeze the sides of your avocado to pop out the pit.

The push technique might be a bit messy, but at least it's guaranteed not to come with a trip to the ER. With it, you can pit our avocados on the go. However, to open them, you're still going to need a decently sized butter knife. Nevertheless, you've been saved from a future of "avocado hands" without giving up your favorite ingredient in your taco salads.