Avocados are handy to have in the kitchen to spread on toast or whip into a dip, but the one downside of this delicious fruit is how long it takes to ripen. Having to wait a week for an avocado to ripen can be incredibly inconvenient, but no matter how frustrated you get, do not heat it up.
It is a very common hack online that cooking avocados in the oven or microwave will ripen them, but it will only soften the skin and leave you with a mushy fruit that is unpleasant to eat. Instead, cook Kirk Muenzenberger has shared that you can naturally ripen avocados in a few hours, and all you need is a brown paper bag.
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In a video online, Kirk said: “Add the avocados to a brown paper bag. Add a few fruits that are high producers of Ethylene Gas (apples, bananas, kiwis).
“Roll it tight and let it sit overnight. That’s all you need to do!”
Avocados contain ethylene, a gas that is a hormone that fruit produces as it ripens to make it even more flavorful.
When too much ethylene builds up in the air, it can cause fruit to ripen and spoil much faster, which is why it’s best not to store ethylene-producing fruits together in the same fruit bowl.
All you need to do is place an avocado in a paper bag. Do not use a plastic bag, as plastic traps moisture, which can cause avocados to become mouldy.
To speed up the process even more, you can add bananas or apples to the bag, as they are the strongest ethylene producers. Other fruits that you can also add to the bag are kiwis, pears, peaches, or even tomatoes.
Then, place the paper bag in a cool area of the kitchen at room temperature, like a cupboard, pantry or cupboard.
Do not place it near a window as sunlight will overheat the fruit and ruin its texture, while the cold temperature inside a fridge will completely halt the ripening process.
After one day, your avocado should be beautifully ripe. You will know an avocado is ready to eat if it is dark green and there is a green spot underneath the stem
If an avocado feels very hard, is bright green, and the spot under the stem is white, then put it back in the bag and hopefully it will be ready the next day.