Wednesday, April 24, 2013

How to: Peel an avocado

Hey, you.  Yes, you!  The one who loves avocados.  I've got a handy dandy trick for you.  My favorite way to cut, pit, and peel an avocado.  That's right, I said peel.

After years of trying to scoop out flesh from the half shell and invariably leaving bits of yummy, buttery avocado behind, I've learned a better way to ditch the shell without losing any of the good stuff.  And, you can say goodbye to those awkward avocado tools sold in specialty kitchen supply stores.  Talk about a waste of a utensil.

I've been doing this for at least a year now and realized that not everyone is aware of this method.  I even watched one of my favorite chefs on TV the other day, using the antiquated scooping strategy.  For shame, Alton!


First, carefully cut the avocado in half, holding a knife in one hand and using the other to rotate the avocado as the knife slices around the pit.  Then, twist the halves and separate.

The pit will be in one side.  With a folded kitchen towel in one hand, cradle the avocado with the pit.  Carefully, "whack" the pit with the sharp side of the knife, twist, and remove.  Face the sharp edge of the knife away from you and, using your thumbs, push the pit off of the knife.


Place halves flesh side down on a cutting board and cut in half, lengthwise.  The whole avocado will now be in easy-to-peel quarters.  Voila!  No fuss, no mess.  So simple it's almost silly, right?!  Here's the full breakdown via Hass's website.

Here are a few of my favorite avocado recipes:

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