How To Pick The Perfect Avocado: An Expert's Guide - RACV

Where should you store avocados?

Avocados, especially if they’re on the firm side, are best stored in ambient temperature, out of direct sunlight. “Once they’re at the stage you want, pop them in the fridge,” John says. “That’ll help them last longer. If they’re not ripe, don’t put them in the fridge until they’re ready, or they’ll never ripen.” 

Can you get an avocado to ripen quicker?

If you want to help a firm avocado ripen up, put it in a bowl with some bananas or other ethylene-producing fruit. “This won’t make it ripen faster, but it will trigger the ripening process,” John says. 

Can you freeze avocados?

Yes, but you want to make sure you remove the flesh and freeze it in an airtight container. 

How do you prevent an avocado from turning brown?

As soon as you cut an avocado, John explains, the tissues in the avocado start to oxidise. “What you need to do is exclude the air,” he says. “If you’re not using a whole avocado, wrap the remaining half in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge.”  

If you want to prep your avo in advance, John says squeezing lemon or lime juice over the flesh can interfere with the oxidisation and stop it turning brown.   

Why are avocados sometimes stringy?

Every now and again you’ll get an avocado that has a stringy texture. “That’s a sort of physiological disorder,” John says. “It occurs during the growing phase. If the trees are stressed – during particularly hot or dry weather, for example – it can cause the fruit to develop an interesting fibrous texture." Unfortunately this is not something you can pick from the outside.  

Why are some avocados black inside?

Like all fruits and vegetables, avocados are susceptible to rot and damage. “Rots start in the orchard, so growers have to manage their trees to minimise the amount of disease that gets onto the fruit,” John says. 

Why can we get avocados all year? Aren't they seasonal?

Avocados are grown from far north Queensland to the New South Wales Central Coast, the Mildura-Sunraysia region and the south-west, John explains, and a rolling harvest from region to region keeps supplies up virtually all year. 

How long are avocados stored for before they reach the consumer?

“Generally, avocados don’t get stored – they’re not like apples,” John says. “They have to be moved through the supply chain a lot more quickly.”