What to look out for when buying avocados

Avocados are not exactly cheap. This makes it all the more annoying if you buy an avocado with lots of brown spots or bruises. It is best to choose an avocado in two steps:

1. Compare the avocados in the supermarket and pay attention to the outer colour of the skin. If the skin is dark, it may be riper than fresh avocados with light-coloured skin. Large indentations can be a sign that the fruit has been bruised. However, the colour is not always an indication of ripeness.
2. Place the avocado in the palm of your hand. Squeeze it gently without touching it with your fingertips, as this can lead to bruising. If the avocado yields to gentle pressure, it is ripe and ready to eat. If it can be squeezed very easily and feels mushy, it is probably overripe or spoiled.

Many recommend removing the small stalk to determine the degree of ripeness. However, as with all fruit, the oxygen in the air will cause browning as soon as the skin is cracked. So regardless of whether the fruit is ripe or not, removing it can have a negative impact on its colour, texture and taste until it is ready to eat.

My favourite morning recipes

Most people know that avocados are extremely versatile. You can use it wonderfully in the morning as a topping for wholemeal bread or toast or mix it into a creamy breakfast bowl or smoothie. Avocado is also a wonderful egg substitute (not just for vegans). I simply sprinkle some black rock salt on the avocado (my son calls it egg salt) and scoop it out – delicious!

My favourite lunch recipes

My very favourite recipe is one that I learned from a friend many years ago. You take some tomato, avocado and mozzarella, add some olive oil, salt and a little (roasted) garlic. The highlight: the mix is served as a “sauce” over freshly cooked (wholemeal) pasta. So delicious, thank me (or my friend) later!

At lunchtime, I also use avocado as a dip for potatoes or rolled up in delicious tacos or in a sushi bowl. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll grab some creamy avocado and coriander toast (from Dean & David) or sushi from the Asian restaurant around the corner.

My favourite evening recipes

As I’m still trying to eat a low-carb diet in the evening (here’s my eye-opening self-test), I prefer low-carb recipes with avocado at the end of the day. For example, I’ll combine eggs with avocado or make myself a fresh salad and mix avocado pieces into it. Another brilliant option: pureeing a salad dressing with avocado to make it wonderfully creamy. Add a few herbs, salt and pepper and the dressing is ready.

This feature originally appeared on GLAMOUR Germany.