Avocados ~ Selecting The Right Ones

Choosing avocados at the grocery store may seem intimidating, but there are a few simple ways to make your selection easier. First, decide how soon you are going to use the avocados. Then check their ripeness using a gentle squeeze test and by examining the color of the skin.

Photo via UmamiBomb.

When are you going to use it?

• Immediately, today ~ choose fully ripe fruit (4 or 5 on the chart). These are very dark green, with black or even purplish tints. They will yield to gentle pressure when pressed or squeezed lightly. Fruit that is squishy, appears withered, or has dented skin (bruising) is probably overly ripe or damaged.
• Within a few days ~ pick avocados that are still somewhat firm with a dark but slightly green tint (2 or 3 on the chart). I often try for this level of ripeness because it allows me more flexibility. If I want to use them sooner I can stick them in a paperbag overnight to ripen them quicker. If I want to keep them longer I can place them in the fridge to slow down the ripening process.
• In 4 days or more ~ select the greenest, firmest ones you can find (1 on the chart). If there are none that meet this description you should try again later when a new shipment arrives or plan to use the avocados sooner.

This selection method is suitable for the Hass variety, which is the most popular and common type of avocado in the country. Other varieties may not change color during the ripening process or may be naturally softer or firmer than a Hass, so the particular qualities outlined above may not be as useful when judging ripeness for other varieties.

Video Tutorial
I like visuals so here is a video by "Your Produce Guy" demonstrating how to judge the level of ripeness so you can pick out a perfect Hass avocado.

The Empowered Consumer
Fortunately, the avocado has a wonderfully thick skin that does a great job of protecting the delicious fruit flesh inside. Many pest and disease issues are treated through use of hardy woodstock and biological control, such as the release of beneficial insects, although some chemical treatments are used as well by some growers.

Organic avocados are quite a treat and can often be found on sale for less than $2 a fruit. Conventionally grown avocados have generally been green-lighted as okay to buy ~ they are frequently on the low end of the pesticide residue list.