Gathered TableThe popularity of avocados is no surprise, considering the different health benefits that this fruit has to offer. Avocado is mostly grown and cultivated in South Central Mexico. It is the fruit of a flowering plant that resembles a large berry with a small seed inside.
But while it is understandable that you love your avocados a lot, it is important to know how long they can last and if you can just let cut avocados sit out. Can cut avocado be left out, then?
How Long Can You Leave Out Cut Avocado?
Just like most fruits, avocados don’t have a long shelf life. This is why you have to be extra careful when it comes to storing your avocados. These fruits are often used in small amounts, with the cut pieces usually left out in exposed in the pantry.
The cut pieces of avocado can usually retain their freshness and quality at room temperature for a maximum of three days. You also need to remember that excessively high temperatures are not suitable for avocados similar to other fruits. It means that if your leave out your cut avocados at high temperatures, the pieces won’t be able to last for over a day.
What Happens If You Leave Out Cut Avocado for a Long Time?
You can find two main types of avocados in the market: unripe and ripe avocados. As expected, unripe avocados have a longer shelf life than their ripe counterparts.
An unripe avocado can last at room temperature for up to one week. Ripe avocados, on the other hand, can only last at normal temperatures for a couple of days.
If you leave out cut pieces of a ripe avocado at high temperatures for over three hours, these will go bad really fast. However, if the cut pieces are still unripe, they can maintain their freshness for one to two days.
What to Do If You Left Out Avocados for Too Long
It is never a good idea to leave out cut avocados for too long because these fruits have a very short shelf life, which means they can spoil quickly once they get exposed to the air. You have to make sure that you check the texture of the fruit first before you use it if you have left it out for a long time.
The most obvious signs of spoiled avocados include changes in texture and color and bad smell. Once the cut pieces of avocado show any or even all of these signs, see to it that you discard them right away. However, if the cut pieces still look fresh enough, you might want to put them in the refrigerator to retain their freshness.
How Long Can Avocados Last?
Firm, green avocados will turn ripe at a maximum of 4 to 5 days if you store them at room temperature. When the avocados turn ripe, they will remain edible only for the next two days. You can also store them as a whole in the refrigerator. The fruits can stay safe in your refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
If you already cut the avocado and you wish to store the pieces first, make sure that you don’t expose them to air. If you do so, the cut pieces will go brown and oxidize. To slow down this browning, make sure that you don’t remove the pit. Sprinkle lemon juice on the cut pieces and wrap them securely with plastic wrap.
What Temperatures are Safe for Cut Avocado?
Cool temperatures will always be considered safe for cut avocados. The cut pieces can last for more than a day in low temperatures. However, temperatures of more than 20 degrees Celsius are no longer suitable for avocados.
So far, the safest temperature for your cut avocados is the temperature in your refrigerator, which is typically less than 5 degrees Celsius.
How Do You Store Avocado Safely?
If your avocados are not yet ripe but are already firm enough, you can store them safely for a maximum of 14 days in the refrigerator. It is because the shelf life of these fruits depends on their ripeness level. If the fruits are almost ripe already, you can expect them to rip sooner.
The fruit will also continue the ripping process although the speed will be slower. If you already want to eat the fruit, you need to take it out of the refrigerator within 24 to 48 hours ahead of time to let it ripen at room temperature.
Below are a few ways of storing your avocados:
Make Pickled Avocados
If you like to store your avocados for a longer time than usual, why not pickle them? To do this, you only need to follow some easy steps to turn your avocados into pickles.
First, prepare a mixture of vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and spices such as coriander. Heat the mixture until it boils. Once the mixture cools down, cut your under-ripe avocadoes into halves before removing the pit and peels. Put the cut pieces into a jar and pour a layer of the vinegar mixture over it.
Put it in the refrigerator for a few hours, or up to 1 to 2 days if possible. The pickled under-ripe avocados can last for up to 2 weeks although it could be faster if you use ripe avocados. Observe the pickles and make sure they don’t disintegrate or get too mushy. These are signs that the pickled avocados are already past their shelf life.
Use Lemon Juice
You can also save your cut avocados by covering the cut side of the fruit with lemon juice or lime juice. The acid of the juice can help ensure that the fruit doesn’t oxidize too soon. However, it will still be best to use your avocados as soon as you can.
Put Them in the Refrigerator
If your avocados are uncut and ripe, you can also store them for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Storing them in the refrigerator will slow down the speed of the ripping process.
If you already cut the avocado, you still store it in the refrigerator just like what you do for apples and other fruits. However, the fruit might oxidize faster and turn brown but will still be edible.
