Avocados are the best ingredient when you want to make a tasty yet healthy breakfast, but there is worse that cutting one open only to discover the insides are slimy and mushy. While delicious, avocados only stay fresh for a short period of time, and most people are actually making this fruit unsafe to eat by storing them in water.
Amy Cross, a food storage expert and founder of The Cross Legacy, has warned that despite being a popular social media hack, keeping avocados in a bowl of water does not actually keep them fresh. She said: “Have you seen the TikTok videos, IG reels and other social media influencers that have been sharing the food hack of storing avocados in water? These tips show people storing whole and halved avocados in water to keep them fresh longer. It has been all over social media. In reality, it could be making you sick. The FDA has come out and spoken against this method of storing avocados.”
Why should you not store avocado slices in water?
The hard avocado skin can have bacteria from the soil on them, and usually the fruit flesh is protected and safe to eat once you wash them.
However, if you store avocado slices in water then these bacteria will contaminate the flesh, and it creates the ideal environment for it to multiply or become mould spores.
Storing avocados in water can not only cause food poisoning, but it is actually not very effective as the avocados natural fats and oils will be break down.
This not only makes the avocado more susceptible to spoilage but ruins both the texture and flavour, so you will be left with a mushy mess that is not very appetising to eat.
What is the best way to keep avocado slices fresh?
It is more effective to simply not use any water at all and instead keep avocado slices stored in a airtight container like a mason jar.
Amy said: “When you cut an avocado and only need to use half, grab a small mason jar and stick the rest of the avocado, with seed and skin intact, into the jar. “
Avocado slices spoil due to a process called oxidation, which is when the enzymes in the inner flesh react to air and begin to spoil. Storing avocado slices in a jar limits their exposure to oxygen, which stops them browning so they stay fresh.
If you wish, you help extend an avocado’s shelf life by coating the flesh in lemon juice or some olive oil, as this seals the enzymes in a protective barrier to stop them browning.
However, simply just storing avocado slices in a jar is not only safe but one of the best ways to preserve them so they stay a glossy green colour up to a week longer.