The quest for the perfect avocado can sometimes feel like a futile one. You can’t spend all day at the supermarket poking and prodding every single fruit until you find one that’s just right. Well, you could, but store management probably wouldn’t be very happy with you. 

Then, when you do find one that seems to be at a good stage of ripeness, you bring it home, get distracted for two seconds and then bam – your once perfect fruit has turned to mush. 

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Why are avocados so finicky?

Avocados don’t start to ripen and soften until after they’ve been picked. If they have to travel a long way to get to market, cold storage during transit stops the ripening process again. If they’re getting shuffled about between storage facilities, this stopping and starting can lead to uneven ripening, and a disappointing result. Avocados also bruise easily, so if they’re not handled with care during harvest and transport, you’ll end up with a mushy avo.

Because of these factors, you’re usually best off to buy firm avocados and let them ripen at home. You’ll find more info about this below. 

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Could an avocado scanner be the answer?

A new avocado scanning device, developed by Dutch company OneThird, allows customers to test the ripeness of their avocados in store, letting them know whether it’s ready to eat, good for guacamole or better suited to slicing. The infrared device analyses the internal composition of the fruit, and was designed to help reduce food waste. It was first unveiled in 2023, and has since started to roll out in supermarkets across Europe. UK supermarket chain Tesco started trialling the device in five of its stores in September of this year. 

Are avocado scanners coming to Australia?

We reached out to Woolies to ask if they might be thinking about introducing this technology in the future, and they told us that they’re aware of the technology, and are “always looking at ways to help customers get the right fruit ripeness for their needs”. However, they’re not taking any “formal action” to introduce it at this stage. 

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How to tell if an avocado is ripe

For a Hass avocado, if it’s hard and green, it’ll be ready to eat in about 2-3 days. If it’s firm and green-black, it’ll be ready in 1-2 days. If it’s purply black and yields slightly to gentle pressure near the stem, it’s ready to eat now. As in right now – stop whatever it is you’re doing and eat that thing. 

For a Shepard avocado (AKA the devil’s avocado), this stays bright green throughout the ripening process. When it yields slightly to gentle pressure at the top, it’s ready to eat. These guys are a little more forgiving on the time front, so you can continue performing that brain surgery and get to your Shepard afterwards. 

How to store avocados

Australian Avocados recommends storing avocados at room temperature until they reach your preferred ripeness. If you want to speed up the ripening process, pop your avocado in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple – they contain a plant hormone known as ethylene, which triggers the ripening process. Once your avocado has reached your desired stage of ripeness, if you’re not ready to eat it just yet, Australian Avocados says that refrigerating it should help maintain the optimum ripeness for 2-3 days. 

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