Sought-after fruit: How to cleverly cut an avocado without a knife

2023-10-03T06:12:07.133Z

Highlights: There have been an increase in accidents when cutting avocados in recent years. 8,000 people in the U.S. get an "avocado hand" every year. The trick is very simple: instead of a knife, a spoon is used to remove the core. The fruit can now be cut into cubes or pureed into cream or wedges. Click here for more recipes and kitchen tricks from our gourmet partner Merkle Merkkle and her team at IMAGO.

Status: 03.10.2023, 08:00 a.m.

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Avocados are a real nutrient bomb and can be prepared in a variety of ways. But what is the best way to cut the fruit?

Whether as a dip, in a salad or on bread: avocados are very versatile and taste incredibly delicious. In recent years, the green fruit has become a real star in the kitchen. It is particularly popular as guacamole and goes perfectly with Mexican specialties such as tacos, nachos and burritos. In addition, avocados are extremely healthy, as they contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids that strengthen the heart and circulation.

Due to its nutrient density, avocado is considered a superfood. However, the preparation of the miracle fruit is not always easy. In fact, there have been an increase in accidents when cutting avocados in recent years.

Preparation of avocados: more dangerous than expected

Again and again, people suffer injuries while cutting avocados. In the meantime, there is even a term for it: the "avocado hand". This may sound strange at first, but it is actually true. Surgeons in the U.S., the U.K., and the Netherlands report that they regularly need to treat patients who have seriously injured their hand while cutting avocados.

Removing the avocado pit ends up in the emergency room for some people. © IMAGO/ Aleksei Isachenko

Namely, many try to remove the round core from the pulp with a sharp knife. Since the core is very hard, the knife can easily slip off and injure fingers or the heel of your hand. This is not a trivial violation. "We often see nerves of the fingers being damaged or even cut," says Amsterdam surgeon Annekatrien van de Kar, according to RND. Some damage is even permanent. According to one study, 8,000 people in the U.S. get an "avocado hand" every year.

Cutting avocado without risk: It's that easy

But don't worry: you don't have to give up eating avocados for safety reasons. If the fruit is cut using the correct technique, then there should be no injury either. Thanks to the following step-by-step instructions and with a little practice, you too can become an avocado cutting professional. The trick is very simple: instead of a knife, a spoon is used to remove the core. Here's how to do it:

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Wash the avocado under cold or lukewarm water. This is important because chemicals and pesticides can otherwise get into the pulp when slicing. Of course, it is always advisable to buy organic food. However, bacteria can also be found in the peel of organic avocados. Before preparation, the tropical fruits should always be cleaned.

Cut the avocado lengthwise once with a long, sharp knife. Turn the fruit over and cut it lengthwise here as well. Now the shell is incised on both sides to the core.

Use both hands to slowly pull the avocado halves apart. If you have cut deep enough, it usually works right away and you don't have to apply much pressure. Otherwise, you can recut with the knife.

The core is now in one of the two halves. Set the knife aside and pick up a spoon instead. Use it to carefully remove the stone from the pulp.

Now you have two perfect avocado halves without a pit. To further process the fruit, you can remove the green inside from the peel with a spoon. Depending on your preference, the fruit can now be cut into cubes, strips or wedges or pureed into a cream.

You don't want to miss any more recipes and kitchen tricks? Click here for the gourmet newsletter of our partner Merkur.de.

Avocado: this is how useful the pit is

It is a well-known fact that sliced avocados turn brown quickly. The pulp reacts with oxygen, which leads to oxidation and brown discoloration. If only one half of the avocado is needed, you should leave the pit in the other half. The stone contains special enzymes, thanks to which the fruit stays fresh longer. Another trick is to sprinkle the pulp with a little lemon juice. This also inhibits the oxidation process. Or you can wrap the cut avocado in cling film in the classic way.

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2023-10-03