Preserving an avocado once it has been sliced or mashed is tricky. However, there are a few hacks to avoid an avocado going brown.
Why do avocados turn brown?
Avocados go brown when they are exposed to air – it is a chemical reaction.
This doesn’t mean the avocado has expired, rather it is a sign the flesh has reacted with oxygen.
Enzymes react and produce brown pigments called melanin, and that’s why the avocado has a brown appearance.
As soon as you cut the skin of an avocado, the browning process will begin. So how do you stop an avocado going brown?
READ MORE-How to ripen avocados in 10 minutes
Onion
Onions are a less obvious choice, but the vegetable prevents avocados from browning.
They contain sulphur compounds that slow the oxidation process, keeping your avocado greener for longer.
Simply chop up a red onion and leave it in an airtight container with the avocado.
Place the avocado half on top of the onion so that they are touching.
Blanch it
Balancing an avocado before cutting it is Raymond Blanc’s secret hack.
Once the avocado is cut, it can be exposed to air for hours without browning.
Balancing the avocado kills the enzyme that causes browning, so nothing will happen for several hours when you cut it
All you need to do is boil an avocado for ten seconds and then submerge it into ice water until it is cool.