Frugality is a lifestyle for many people, some of them even call themselves “Frugaholics”. When something is on sale, they can’t help but buy a lot of that item, so they do not have to spend that much when next they need it.
Avocados are great, they have a high-fat content and a creamy feel that makes eating them feel exquisite. It is easy to fall in love with them and develop a penchant for eating them randomly.
Can you freeze avocados whole? Yes, you can. Well technically, you can freeze avocados whole, but you might not like the outcome. Avocados have a high water content, when you freeze them whole, the water expands and ruptures the cell structure of the avocados. When you thaw them, they become mushy and watery. The alteration of the cell structure also causes the avocados to lose that creamy texture that we all love.
Avocados contain a lot of nutrients and are a healthy addition to your diet. Freezing them is really not a great idea if you care for the texture. There are other ways to freeze avocados so you can enjoy them even when they are not in season.
How to Freeze Avocados
When stored properly, avocados can last for 4 to 6 months. The freezing process does not have any significant effect on how they taste, but you can’t compare them to the taste of fresh avocados. Fresh ones taste better, frozen avocados might taste a bit watered down. Since it is not advisable to freeze avocados whole, how else can you freeze them?
Freezing Avocados in Halves
Freezing avocados in halves is a way to keep the texture closer to fresh avocados. It requires some level of preparation, so they will freeze well.
Step 1: Clean the Avocados
Cleaning your avocados is a great practice of food hygiene. Washing the avocados thoroughly with water takes away the dust and debris and reduces the risk of foodborne diseases. Even if you are getting your avocados from the store, always remember to wash them.
Step 2: Prepare the Avocados
Once you have cleaned the avocados, get a good knife and cut it in half. You can’t slice it straight down into two because of the pit so you have to cut from both sides down to the middle. Using a spoon, scoop out the pit. It is not edible, so there is no point in keeping it. Using the same spoon used for the pit you can separate each half from their skins.
Step 3: Keep the Avocados From Turning Brown
Just like apples, avocados turn brown when exposed to air. This doesn’t have any effect on how they taste or feel, but it could reduce your enthusiasm when you come back for them. Using lemon juice, lime, or vinegar, you can preserve the color of the halved avocados.
After peeling the avocados, just brush the halves with any of the aforementioned liquids so that it doesn’t turn brown as you carry on with the freezing process.
Step 4: Storage
When you have the avocados dabbed with lime or vinegar, you can put them in Ziploc bags and press them flat to expel excess air before you seal them. If you are really concerned about keeping air and moisture away, wrap the halves in plastic wrap and use a vacuum sealer to seal them.
It is always good to label the Ziploc bags, stating the content and date of the freeze before putting them in the freezer.
Freezing Sliced or Diced Avocados
Freezing sliced or diced avocados follow almost the same process as freezing them in halves. The only difference is that you have to freeze the diced avocados on a sheet pan before putting them into airtight Ziploc bags. Freezing them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper helps them from getting sticky when you freeze them long-term.
Sliced or Diced avocados can be integrated into salads, juice, or smoothies, you can have fun eating them while they are still frozen. All you need to do is wash them, peel off the skin, slice them into halves, before you slice them further, or dice them in shapes of your choice.
How to Thaw Frozen Avocados
Thawing frozen avocados is an easy affair. Just transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator and leave them in there till they thaw. Trying to get frozen avocados to thaw rapidly can negatively affect the texture. The best way to thaw them is by leaving them overnight in the refrigerator. This way, the avocados don’t get too mushy.
Should You Freeze Unripe Avocados?
This is a very bad idea; freezing unripe avocados doesn’t benefit anyone. Freezing stops the ripening process of avocados and unripe avocados are not exactly known for being delicious, or something someone desires.
Debunking myths that tell you to freeze unripe avocados, even when you thaw them and leave them on the kitchen counter, they don’t ripen or taste any better.
How to Recognize Spoiled Avocados
Over time, the flavor of avocados can change, so smelling them might not be an accurate way to tell if they have gone bad. Of course, if it smells rank or offensive then, it has gone bad. But more accurate ways of recognizing spoiled avocados is by inspecting, touching, and tentatively tasting them if they seem okay.
Under no circumstance should you eat spoiled food, if you discover that your avocados have gone bad, please discard them, even if it hurts to see them go to waste.