Avocado is a delicious fruit and finding a fully ripe buttery textured avocado is a beautiful thing!
The fruit is known for its versatile use and there are multiple ways you can enjoy this healthy food.
However, let’s suppose that you have bought more avocados than needed, you might be thinking about storage choices.
Avocados are tricky when it comes to refrigerating and this is especially true for cut avocados.
Cut avocados need to be refrigerated if you want to use them in the next few days.
When you cut an avocado, it will oxidize and turn brown, similar to cut apples.
Brown avocados aren’t that pleasing to the eyes, but they are still edible.
Placing cut avocado in the fridge is an excellent way to store it for a couple of days while keeping the inside fresh and green.
Avocados are a delicious and nutritious fruit that can be enjoyed in many different ways.
However, it’s important to remember that avocados should always be refrigerated.
There are a few reasons for this.
They can turn brown because of a process called oxidation.
There are a few simple steps you can take to prevent your avocados from oxidizing.
First, store them in a cool, dark place.
Avocados will oxidize more slowly at lower temperatures.
Second, cut avocados just before you plan to eat them. Once they are exposed to the air, they will begin to oxidize.
You can also place the unused portion of the avocado in a bowl of water or lemon juice to help prevent it from turning brown.
In addition, avocados contain a high level of fat.
This means that they can go rancid very quickly if they are not stored properly.
Finally, refrigerating avocados helps to preserve their nutrient content.
Do You Put Avocados In The Fridge After Cutting?
To avoid the remaining avocado from turning brown quickly, putting it in the fridge after cutting will slow the oxidization process and preserve its nutrients.
When you place the avocado in the fridge after cutting, it will extend the lifespan of the fruit for another 3-4 days.
You can extend this period to weeks if the avocado is placed in the freezer.
While browning is natural, and part of the oxidization process, it isn’t too aesthetically appealing, even though the avocado is completely edible.
Apart from placing the avocado in the fridge, it is also essential to store it properly.
Sprinkling lemon juice or lime on the cut surface of avocado will prevent oxidation.
Moreover, if you place it in a plastic wrap before refrigerating, then an avocado can last for 3-4 days.
A cut avocado can start losing its oh-so-beneficial nutrients, so proper storage is crucial.
First, avocados are an excellent source of healthy fats, known to do wonders for heart health.
Second, avocados are also a good source of fiber.
Fiber is important for digestive health and can also help to lower cholesterol levels.
Finally, avocados contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
So, even though a cut avocado may lose some of its nutrients, it’s still a nutritious food that can be part of a healthy diet.
How Long Does Cut Avocado Last Out Of The Fridge?
An avocado turns brown when it comes in contact with air.
This chemical reaction results in browning the avocado and while it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing, it is not spoiled and will not make you sick.
It is best to place a cut avocado in the fridge before it goes bad, and to further prevent browning, drizzle the exposed areas with lemon or lime juice, or anything with critic acid.
An unripe avocado is best stored outside on a countertop at room temperature.
It will allow the ripening process to happen naturally and is a perfect solution when you want to eat it in the next few days.
On the contrary, a ripe peeled avocado will only be good for 6 hours when placed out of the fridge.
After that, it will start to turn brown. You must discard an avocado if the entire fruit is mushy or moldy.
You can preserve a cut avocado out of the fridge by placing the cut avocado in a tightly sealed bag.
This plastic bag will reduce contact with oxygen and the avocado will turn brown at a slower pace.
Another technique is to fill a bowl with cold water and place the cut fruit in it.
The cold water will delay the procedure of ripening the avocado.
Is It OK To Leave A Cut Avocado Out?
Cutting into a perfectly ripe avocado is a joy!
However, once cut open the challenge of storing and preventing the fruit from going brown or bad is real.
When exposed to air, avocados can quickly go bad or catch bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
You should not leave a cut avocado out for more than two hours especially when they are ripe.
Bacterial growth can take place easily and you will no longer be able to eat the avocado.
Avocados do not have a long shelf life which makes their storage a crucial issue.
Two factors contribute to spoiling cut avocados:
Temperature – Avocados can turn ripe from unripe in a matter of hours.
When you cut a ripe avocado, it can only be left out at room temperature for 2 hours.
After that, the cut avocado should be discarded for safety reasons.
Bacterial growth tends to be quicker when a cut avocado is placed at a temperature ranging from 40-140 Fahrenheit.
If you leave out a cut avocado, the risk of bacterial contamination is quite high.
For temperatures of 90 degrees, the spoilage is a lot faster.
It is recommended that a cut avocado should be discarded after an hour of being left in the open.
Oxygen Contact – If you want to cut an avocado and consume it later without having to refrigerate it, then it is essential to reduce the contact of oxygen with the flesh.
This will minimize the browning of the avocado.
It is not a good idea to leave out cut avocados as they have a short shelf life.
In addition, they can spoil easily when exposed to air.
If you did leave a cut avocado out for long, then you need to check its texture before eating it.
Changes in textures, color, and bad smell are indications of a spoiled avocado.
Discard the fruit if cut pieces show these signs.
Avocados are way beyond the latest health trend.
They have been used for thousands of years as part of a nutritious diet and are only just starting to gain prominence as a superfood.
Whether you love making tacos, salads, or sandwiches; avocados are the answer.
However, storing cut avocados can be a challenge.
The oxidation process will quickly turn it brown, which is not pleasing to the eyes.
To prolong the life of an avocado, you will need to refrigerate it.
Cut avocados do need to be refrigerated that is if you want to squeeze the most value out of them.
And as avocados are nutritious powerhouses with tons of beneficial vitamins and minerals that will have you feeling on top of the world, preserve those nutrients!
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.