February 17, 2023 | A note from the Food52 Editors: In May 2022, the FDA released a comment declaring the storage of avocados submerged in water as unsafe. Citing the possibility of residual human pathogens (i.e. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., etc.) residing on the avocado surface multiplying while in water, the FDA does not recommend this practice.
The community recently brought the FDA warning to our attention when we reposted this article on our social media. We are leaving the original post on our site so that if someone does research this technique, they will be reminded of its potential danger.
For an alternative and safe avocado storage technique, we recommend squeezing citrus on the cut side of an avocado, tightly covering it in plastic wrap, and storing in the refrigerator.
If you bought some extra avocados during the ban and shortage scare last week, you no longer need to worry about how you'll keep them fresh: A new hack making the rounds on social media shows how to keep the fruit ripe and ready to eat. And purportedly, this works for just about a month—or longer!
"Avocados stay good for-freaking-ever if you put them in water in the fridge," a viral Facebook post marveled.
In the post, the author demonstrates submerging the avocados in a big carafe of water and refrigerating them. After some time, the poster compares them to a control group left on the counter. "These have been in here for two whole dang weeks while the control group on the countertop rotted. They’re perfect. I’m speechless. If y’all knew and didn’t tell me imma be BIG MAD."
Clearly, Facebook's collective life was changed—so far, the original post has gotten over 15,000 reactions, 33,000 comments, and 169,000 shares.
On Twitter, author Ashley Ford corroborated that it works, saying she first saw it on TikTok and tried it with success. Southern Living took the time to do a mini-experiment that dug in deeper, showing that submerging the avocados really did make a difference, not only from the avocados on the countertop, but even from one kept dry in the refrigerator.
For even more avocado-preservation power, this TikTok explains how you can keep a cut avocado fresh in the fridge using a little bit of water as well. It's in Spanish, but for those who need a translation: Basically, using a wet paper towel against the flesh keeps out the air and prevents browning and deterioration from oxidation. The same reasoning applies for why the whole-fruit submerging method works as well.
And aside from avocados, commenters across the internet have suggested that this same method works for other fruit—specifically lemons, limes, grapefruits, and other citrus of that ilk. And we'd expect it to work for things like bananas, too, or anything thick-peeled and prone to oxidation.
But for now, we'll thank the internet gods for keeping our avocados bright green and creamy. The end of the avocado ban all but means it's time to stock up on the precious fruit.
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Written by: Naomi Tomky
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30 Comments
Another great avocado tip that I came across awhile ago is for when you only use 1/2 an avocado and want to save the remaining half - brush it lightly with olive oil, then wrap it up (I use wax paper vs. plastic) and refrigerate. Works all of the time!
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