Just because your cut avocado has browned doesn’t mean that the fruit has gone bad. But nobody wants to serve food that looks stale or old.
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So is there a way to keep open avocados from turning brown? Yes, and there are different options for storing open avocados which you could choose from to keep them fresh in appearance as well as taste.
The browning is caused by oxidation, the same process that makes a cut apple start to brown. You may have heard that keeping the pit in prevents avocados or guacamole from browning or oxidation. While it is true, it is not for the reason you’re probably thinking right now. And it is not effective for the entire piece that you are storing.
The basis for keeping the avocado’s pit is simple. Pits do not emit any chemicals that prevent the oxidation process. It simply blocks oxygen from making contact with the surface it’s covering. So yes, it only protects the part where it sits. Nothing special!
So how can we protect all of the cut avocados? We have five ways here, each mitigating the oxidation process but to different degrees.
Your options:
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Onion
- Plastic Baggie/Ziploc
Each of these options does help to keep avocados looking fresh and green as they minimize contact between oxygen and the fruit’s surface. It would just depend on how you plan to consume your avocado and perhaps how long you think you’ll store it before consuming it.
Watch this video to see the effects of each of these methods…
