This week has really been the start of summer – not just officially on the calendar but the temperatures have reached well into the 90’s!
What this means is that my stove will be taking a rest for a while. The thought of having a hot oven on in this weather just makes me want to run away. Instead, I try to eat more foods that don’t need to be cooked – like lots of salads including my favorite avocado salad.
If you plan on making this salad, you’ll need to know how to cut an avocado. I shouldn’t assume that everyone knows how to do this so here goes my (hopefully) easy to follow instructions.
First we start with a Haas avocado. They are the smaller and darker ones. You don’t want to get one that is as hard as a rock but you don’t want it too soft either. Something firm with a little give is good.
In the middle of the avocado is a large round pit. First we need to cut the avocado in half so we can get the pit out. The best way to do it is make a cut down the middle until your knife stops at the pit. Keep your knife steady and basically just roll the avocado around your knife until you have a slit all the way around. Separate it and now you have 2 halves.
One of the halves still has the pit in it. This next step works best with a bog knife. Basically you have to whack that knife in one clean swoop right into the middle of the pit.
Once the knife is in there, give it a little twist and the pit comes out – however still stuck to the knife!
To get the pit off the knife, you can use your thumb to carefully push on the pit and slide ti off. You may have to be a little forceful – just be careful of the side of the SHARP knife.
Once the pit is out you now have 2 halves but the skin is still on. The easiest way I have found to get the avocado out of the skin is to take a spoon and go around the inside edges all around the half and scoop it out. Try to keep your spoon as close to the inside of the skin as possible so you don’t leave a lot of avocado left on the skin. You want to make sure you get all of that avocado goodness!
Turn each half onto it’s flat slide and now just make slices. Slices are good if you want to add the avocado to a sandwich.
If you want it in chunks for a salad, first cut in slices and then cut the slices into chunks.
There you have it!
What’s your favorite way to eat avocado?
Love your tutorial! I like mine mashed into guacamole. Stay cool! It’s still cool here in LA. We get our heat waves later in the summer.
I like it in guacamole too but not too mashed. I like it a little chunky.