I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?

John wrote:

> I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
> plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
> them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
> supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?


Add lemon juice to slow down the oxidation of the avacados... Even then
it doesn't last too long... Your best bet is to wait until you have the
recipe - then start your cuttin' and mashin'

~john

John wrote:
> I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
> plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
> them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
> supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?


Avocado flesh will turn brown when exposed to air. Anything you do to
prevent contact with air prevents browning. My favorite method is to
leave it in the avocado until minutes before mixing with the other dip
ingredients and serving. You might also put it in a long thin container
with plastic wrap and a dish to weigh down the plastic. I've heard
lemon juice suggested to prevent oxidizing, but that's never worked so
well for me. Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:

> I've heard lemon juice suggested to prevent oxidizing, but that's never
> worked so well for me. Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits
> on top.


Is that before or after you toss a pinch of salt over your should? <G>

~john

>Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits
>> on top.
----------------------------
That's an old wives tale, I'm afraid.

Mixing in some lemon or lime juice (fresh) will help. When I have half of an
avocado left over, I spray it with PAM, and it keeps nicely for a couple of
days. Maybe if you smooth over the top of the mashed avocado, and then spray
with PAM, it would help.

Levelwave© wrote:

> Is that before or after you toss a pinch of salt over your shoulder? <G>


After. Careful of the dog's eyes when throwing salt around the kitchen.
I think it is Harold McGee who noted that avocado pits work as well as
light bulbs in keeping air off the guacamole. I love the picture of the
elegant party with the guac and the light bulbs.

--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:

> I've heard
> lemon juice suggested to prevent oxidizing, but that's never worked so
> well for me. Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
>

Leaving the pit in the bowl doesn't work. A good amount of fresh lemon
or lime juice always works for me. A lot of avacado recipes use lemon
anyway.

Best to just wait and cut it up fresh and plan to eat it in one sitting.



Dawn

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 19:16:35 -0600, Dawn wrote:

> Best to just wait and cut it up fresh and plan to eat it in one sitting.

i agree.

Nancree wrote:
>>Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits
>>>on top.
>
> ----------------------------
> That's an old wives tale, I'm afraid.


It does work in that the pits keep air off the guac as well as anything
else that shape would. I agree that there's no magic substance in the pits.


--Lia

"John" > wrote in message
...
> I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
> plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
> them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
> supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?
>

Yes, it will happen. It's oxidization, same as with apples or potatoes. Your
best bet for preventing it is to not cut the avo's until you're ready to use
them. If you must prepare them ahead of time, lemon or lime juice will help
prevent the discoloration. So will citric acid, or a light spray of oil
(with a mister or Pam). Don't believe the old myth about the pits...they
don't help anything other than the spot they come in contact with, and that
is only because they prevent air from reaching it. There are little things
you can do to help, but nothing will be quite as good as not cutting them
until you're going to use/eat them.

kimberly

>Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.

This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.

John wrote in message
>I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
>plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
>them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
>supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?
>

yes, that is supposed to happen. to prevent this, eat the avocados
lemon juice works ok, but they might still brown a bit. when my avocados are
ripe, i cut them all into halves and brush with lemon juice, then stick on a
sheet pan in the freezer for an hour. then i take em off the sheet pan and
put them in a bag. voila! instant avocado when i need one!

--
Saerah

TANSTAAFL

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it
had an underlying truth."

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing
swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive
power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some
farcical aquatic ceremony."

On 01 Apr 2004 03:41:39 GMT, (WardNA) wrote:

> >Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
>
> This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.

This is the first thread I've read where anyone except me
says that avocado pit thing thing doesn't work.



Practice safe eating - always use condiments

On 4/1/04 1:01 AM, in article ,
"sf" > wrote:

> On 01 Apr 2004 03:41:39 GMT, (WardNA) wrote:
>
>>> Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
>>
>> This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.
>
> This is the first thread I've read where anyone except me
> says that avocado pit thing thing doesn't work.
>
>
>
> Practice safe eating - always use condiments
Lemon juice is the trad way to preserve colour on any fruit or veg. It
contains ascorbic acid (aka: vitamin C). You can also purchase pure
ascorbic acid wherever there is a good assortment of canning supplies. I
always use that or lemon juice - or orange juice on sweet fruits - on cut
fruits and vegs, including avocados, and never have discoloration probs.

John > wrote in message >...
> I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
> plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
> them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
> supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?

as with apples covering with lemon juice works, but a lot of lemon
juice is needed.when i am baking apple pies i do loads at a time and
rarly have enough lemon juice to cover x kilos of cut apples, so i
place in large bowls of cold water and add lots of salt. when my
pastry is ready etc. i strain the apples and wash off the salt and the
apple is still lovely and white AND it does not taste in the least bit
salty.( i have a no salt diet )this should work with avocados as well,
although i have not tried it as i hate them.

"paula" > wrote in message
om...
> John > wrote in message
>...
> > I bought a bunch of ripe avacados, cut out all the flesh, put in a
> > plastic bowl overnight while I was searching for a good dip recipe. Took
> > them out the next morning...they were all brown in color. Is this
> > supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent it?
>
> as with apples covering with lemon juice works, but a lot of lemon
> juice is needed.when i am baking apple pies i do loads at a time and
> rarly have enough lemon juice to cover x kilos of cut apples, so i
> place in large bowls of cold water and add lots of salt. when my
> pastry is ready etc. i strain the apples and wash off the salt and the
> apple is still lovely and white AND it does not taste in the least bit
> salty.( i have a no salt diet )this should work with avocados as well,
> although i have not tried it as i hate them.

The brownng is caused by a reaction with oxygen in the air. The best
solution that I have found is to press plastic wrap directly onto the
surface of the avocado. Better yet, don't take the flesh out until you need
to.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

This is how I do it when I make guacamole and it will stay green for as
long as a week, if it lasts that long. Take a piece of Saran wrap and
press it down tightly against the avacados then press it all the way to
the sides and up and over them. As long as air doesn't reach the surface
it will stay green. -RP

(paula) wrote in message . com>...
>
> as with apples covering with lemon juice works, but a lot of lemon
> juice is needed.when i am baking apple pies i do loads at a time and
> rarly have enough lemon juice to cover x kilos of cut apples, so i
> place in large bowls of cold water and add lots of salt. when my
> pastry is ready etc. i strain the apples and wash off the salt and the
> apple is still lovely and white AND it does not taste in the least bit
> salty.( i have a no salt diet )this should work with avocados as well,
> although i have not tried it as i hate them.

Why the salt?

Just curious why you don't just soak in plain water.

Thanks,
-todd

"WardNA" > wrote in message
...
> >Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
>
> This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.

Rubbish....If I cut one in half and return the 1 half to use later I put the
seed back into it and put a little lemon juice over and cover with plastic
wrap.then the avocado keeps quite well....No discredited wives tale at all
!!....

Bigbazza

"Bigbazza" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "WardNA" > wrote in message
> ...
> > >Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
> >
> > This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.
>
> Rubbish....If I cut one in half and return the 1 half to use later I put
the
> seed back into it and put a little lemon juice over and cover with plastic
> wrap.then the avocado keeps quite well....No discredited wives tale at all
> !!....
>
> Bigbazza
>
>

It *is* a false old wives' tale - it's the lemon juice and/or the plastic
wrap that is doing the trick.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 14:10:16 +0000, Peter Aitken wrote:

>> Rubbish....If I cut one in half and return the 1 half to use later I
>> put the seed back into it and put a little lemon juice over and cover
>> with plastic wrap.then the avocado keeps quite well....No discredited
>> wives tale at all !!....

> It *is* a false old wives' tale - it's the lemon juice and/or the
> plastic wrap that is doing the trick.

i think _if_ you split them lengthwise from the top, and leave the seed
undisturbed in one half, that half will keep for a day or two. i've seen
that done lots of times and it works. now, maybe it is just that the seed
keeps the hole "sealed" and not a chemical thing ... but i can leave that
analysis to someone with an Avacado Council grant.

(though, as i said ... i tend to eat the whole thing and not worry. my 2
trees don't usually produce monsters, so 1-2 people can eat 1-2 avacados'
worth of quacamole.)

>Rubbish....If I cut one in half and return the 1 half to use later I put the
>seed back into it and put a little lemon juice over and cover with plastic
>wrap.then the avocado keeps quite well....No discredited wives tale at
-------------------------
It's the lemon juice that works, not the seed. A seed in a bowl of mashed
avocado does almost nothing.
I suggest spraying it with PAM vegetable oil--easy, quick.

On 4/2/04 8:10 AM, in article
, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

> "Bigbazza" > wrote in message
> . ..
>>
>> "WardNA" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>> Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
>>>
>>> This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.
>>
>> Rubbish....If I cut one in half and return the 1 half to use later I put
> the
>> seed back into it and put a little lemon juice over and cover with plastic
>> wrap.then the avocado keeps quite well....No discredited wives tale at all
>> !!....
>>
>> Bigbazza
>>
>>
>
> It *is* a false old wives' tale - it's the lemon juice and/or the plastic
> wrap that is doing the trick.
>
You know, you can purchase liquid or powdered ascorbic acid and have enough
to cover a batch of apples, fruit salads, drying fruit,etc. I think it's
sold as "Fruit Fresh" around my neck of the woods. Just read the
ingredients thing and you will find whether it's the right stuff or not.
When I was making dried apples by the bushel (in NYC, btw...long story) I
learned to use this.

Bigbazza wrote:
>
> "WardNA" > wrote in message
> ...
> > >Other suggestions include throwing the avocado pits on top.
> >
> > This one having been thoroughly discredited as a wives' tale.
>
> Rubbish....If I cut one in half and return the 1 half to use later I put the
> seed back into it and put a little lemon juice over and cover with plastic
> wrap.then the avocado keeps quite well....No discredited wives tale at all
> !!....
>
> Bigbazza

Ah but it works just as well with just the lemon juice and cling film,
without the pit.

Arri London wrote:

> Ah but it works just as well with just the lemon juice and cling film,
> without the pit.


Actually no. The pit is exactly the right size and shape to fit in the
concave space of the avocado. It is available and inexpensive. It
would be hard to get the plastic wrap to fit so neatly.

--Lia

>he pit is exactly the right size and shape to fit in the
>concave space of the avocado. It is available and inexpensive. It
>would be hard to get the plastic wrap to fit so neatly.
>
--Lia
------------------------
The discussion began with a bowl of mashed avocado turning dark. An avocado
pit would be of no use here. PAM vegetable oil spray and plastic wrap, closely
fitted, would be of use.

The discussion began on how to keep avocadoes from turning brown. At
first the question was on how to keep mashed avocado fresh and green in
appearance. Then it moved to keeping the unused half fresh when it is
still in shell.


We all agree that there's nothing magic about the pits that keeps the
avocado flesh green. The avocado turns brown when exposed to air. The
point that I keep trying to make is that the pit is a convenient way to
keep air off the avocado. Plastic wrap and a spray of oil are best, but
you might not have those available. You always have the pit.


And with that, I've explained the best I can. Enough.


--Lia

Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
>
> > Ah but it works just as well with just the lemon juice and cling film,
> > without the pit.
>
> Actually no. The pit is exactly the right size and shape to fit in the
> concave space of the avocado. It is available and inexpensive. It
> would be hard to get the plastic wrap to fit so neatly.
>
> --Lia

Actually no. We eat a lot of avocados and the clingfilm and lemon juice
work perfectly fine. The plastic doesn't need to conform to the cavity
where the pit resided. Just excluding oxygen from the entire surface
works.