Life Hacks I Love #5: How to Prevent an Avocado from Browning

I put avocado and apple in my lunch almost everyday. I make my salad in the morning before work and the avocado only seems to get brown if it was already over ripe when I put it in the salad.  Otherwise, both the apple and avocado maintain their colour and still appear fresh and appetizing at lunch time. This always stumped me because when I store the other half of the avocado in my fridge the surface always browns. I do understand that avocados “oxidize” when they are exposed to air, much the same as an apple or a potato. However, what I failed to comprehend was why both seemed to maintain their colour in my salad, but not when stored in the fridge. I honestly don’t remember where I read this, but I think it was embedded in a recipe that called for avocado ~ sorry, but I couldn’t find the source. Anyways, the poster suggested adding a bit of red onion to your salad to prevent browning. Well, clearly I didn’t have to test this theory because I eat the same salad almost everyday ~ mixed greens, apple, avocado, raw pumpkin seeds and you guessed it….red onion! I finally had my answer. The onion prevents both the apple and avocado from oxidizing in my salad!  So, this got me to thinking….”I wonder if it would it work if I stored a little piece of red onion in the plastic wrap with my avocado?” Sure enough, after 12 hours in the fridge, it looks no different from when I placed in there that morning. (Had I been thinking, I would have removed the plastic wrap so that you would have a better view, but I didn’t so this is the best shot I have to share.)

When looking for the source of the above tip, I did come across what seems to be another great idea. On “thekitchn“, Faith suggests pouring a layer of water over guacamole to keep it from browning. Pour off the water and give it a stir when ready to eat.  She also suggests not using plastic wrap as it is too porous and still allows air to penetrate the food. She also shares a few of their favourite guacamole recipe, so follow the link if you want to check out her post. Thanks for the great advise Faith!

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About Cindy RoyI’m a busy mother, wife and kindergarten teacher. I have a huge list of loves! I love my family, The Source Church, old houses, “up-cycling”, DIY projects, scrapbooking, volleyball, interior design, cake decorating, party planning, healthy eating, and last, but certainly not least…gift wrapping! I just launched my brand new Youtube channel and am super excited to share BOWhemian WRAPsody with my followers. My channel is dedicated to all things relating to gift wrapping and creating beautiful eye catching presents…its all in the PRESENTation! I’m very organized and reflective, and am continually striving to do life more lovingly, passionately, effectively and successfully.

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