You might be missing out if you have not taken avocado before. Everyone loves it for its deliciousness and versatility. It can either be enjoyed alone or used in different dishes. The popularity has grown and it is readily available for people to buy at grocery stores. The fact remains that avocados within sandwiches promote the level of the sandwich.
They are great to be used in sandwiches and you may be looking to pack your lunch of avocado sandwiches, however, you will be contemplating how long the avocado will last in the sandwich before going bad.
Generally, avocado used in sandwiches will start to become brown within three to four hours but it is still fine to be eaten. The idea is to keep your sandwich inside the fridge if you will only eat it later, however, ensure you eat your avocado sandwich meal before the close of that day.
Nutrients contained in avocados in large quantities include minerals and vitamins including potassium and vitamin E. One of the functions of avocados is to enhance some other nutrient absorption rates and this makes them perfect throughout your day. Different ways have been found to keep avocados green and fresh.
How To Keep Avocado Fresh For Lunch
You can make sure that your avocado stays fresh as much as possible until when you will eat it, this depends on how the avocado has been prepared for lunch.
Guacamole
If you want guacamole kept fresh, put it inside a very small container, then use plastic wrap to layer the surface of your guacamole. Cover the lid to ensure it is very air-tight and allow the guacamole to be kept chilled within the lunch bag with some ice packs.
Whole Avocado
In comparison to cut pieces, it is quite easier when you want to keep an entire avocado green and fresh. Rinse the outer part of your avocado and then thoroughly dry it. Put your avocado inside a zipper plastic bag and put it with your ice pack into a lunch bag where it will be kept chilled. Don’t forget to have a knife inside the lunch bag for you to cut your avocado.
Cut Avocado
Use some lime or lemon juice to sprinkle your avocado pieces if the avocado was cut before being packed for lunch. This will prevent its flesh from becoming brown. Put those pieces inside your zipper plastic bag and then put them close to your ice pack so that they will chill until you want to eat them.
How Long Does Avocado Last?
Avocados do not have a particular life span because they are usually stored in different ways and kept in various forms. Their life spans vary. When you know how long avocado can last, you will be able to have a plan of when you want to eat it for the avocado not to become wasted.
- When you cut your avocados, they usually become discolored very quickly. If you want to prevent cut or sliced avocado from becoming brown, use a little amount of lemon or lime juice to sprinkle on the flesh and tightly use a plastic wrap to wrap it. If you want to extend the life further, put your wrapped avocado inside an air-tight container and put it inside the refrigerator.
- If you store avocados properly, they can stay within the fridge for about 3-4 days. Sprinkle them with lemon juice and use plastic wrap to wrap them.
- A lot of people are not aware that avocado can be frozen. If you want to do this, peel and then puree your avocado. After that, add lemon juice of about ½ tablespoon per avocado. Place the puree into an airtight container or freezer bag before you place them inside the freezer.
- If you follow the process properly, you can store avocado inside the freezer this way, maintaining the quality for about 3-6 months. You can still eat them after then, but some of its quality would’ve deteriorated.
- You should discard avocadoes with bad appearance and smell.
Tricks To Keep Avocados From Turning Brown
Avocados have a few downfalls and one of them is that it becomes brown quite quickly. Though the taste will not always be affected, it will not be appealing as compared with the green and fresh variety. Polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme that turns avocadoes brown is found just below its skin. When you cut the avocado, the enzyme contacts oxygen and turns the flesh brown. Check some tricks below that will help you to best prevent avocados from turning brown too quickly:
Onions: Chop up about a quarter red onion, put it at the base of your sealable container, and put the skin side of the avocado on your onion. Vapors will be emitted from your onion and it will stop your avocado from becoming brown. However, the avocado and onion will not transfer flavor to each other because the flesh will not have direct contact with your onion.
Water: When you immerse avocados inside water, it will prevent air from getting exposed to it. This will prevent it from turning brown and you can keep your avocado inside water for about 48 hours. Because of the long time, you could notice the surface turning a bit slimy, but it will still be perfectly green on the inside and the taste will still be fresh.
Olive oil: Use olive oil to brush your avocado and it will prevent air from getting to the surface, preventing browning. The surface may be lightly brown when you use olive oil to brush your avocados, but the flesh inside will still retain the green color.
Pit: If you want to stop your avocado from turning brown completely, allow the pit to remain in the remaining avocado half. The last area to turn brown will be the part that the pit is still in contact with. However, some pieces could still turn light brown, it can still be used in salad and sandwiches.
Plastic Wrap: When you wrap avocado with plastic wrap, you will prevent air from getting to the skin’s surface, thus prevents browning. Your sliced avocados might get the top slightly brown, but its flesh below will remain green.
Lemon Juice: Use lime or lemon juice to sprinkle your cut avocado and it will not turn brown. If you don’t eat it, it will later turn brown, but the lime or lemon juice would prevent it from browning too quickly.
Avocado Sandwich Suggestions
Avocado can be taken with nearly anything, however, some ingredients beautifully pair with it to make a sandwich very delicious, check below:
- Chicken
- Cucumber
- Feta
- Hummus
- Red pepper
- Olives
- Egg
- Onion
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
There are different ingredients whose tastes are great when paired with avocado, everything depends on what you want as well as how well the avocado is stored.
Related Questions
Sandwiches And Avocados
The good thing is that we have some tricks and tips you can use to promote the life spans of avocadoes by preventing them from browning too quickly. When you use avocado on your sandwich, refrigerated the avocado in a very tight storage bag or container and ensure you eat it within some hours. If you wait longer than the stipulated hours, the avocado won’t spoil, however, it will become unpleasant by turning brown.
Can avocado go bad?
Yes, avocado des go bad, just like some other fresh produce. If you want to know if avocado as spoilt, check out for black or brown spots on the flesh. You will also perceive that the smell is unpleasant. You should not eat the avocado is you notice any of the two signs, you should instead throw it away.
Can you eat a whole avocado a day?
You can eat your avocado in different ways, it could be on a salad, a sandwich, or even alone. You can easily eat an entire one in a day. It is not a problem to do that. However, if you want to lose weight, eat just half per day. Contained in avocados is a high amount of fat and too much of it will increase your weight.
Can you eat brown avocado?
When you expose the green flesh of avocado to oxygen present in the air, avocado will become brown because of the chemical reaction that takes place. The brown color is not an indication that it has gotten spoilt, but the brown portion is likely to taste a bit bitter. However, you can still eat it. A spoilt avocado will be noticed from the smell or growth of mold, then you should throw it away.
Is it okay to eat a cut avocado after one day?
You can keep avocados fresh inside the fridge for about five days if they are properly stored. Avocados are delicious and a bit expensive. You will need to know how you should prepare and then store it if you want it to last for a long time.