Avocados are the nation's favourite superfood. Whether it's avocado on toast, avocado smoothies, or avocado salads, we simply cannot stop eating - or most importantly, instagramming - them.
Yet, there is far more to the avocado than being a simple brunch addition. From becoming your new make-up remover, to being your new favourite emoji, there are many fun and unsual uses you can put your avocado to. Here is a definitive list of avocado tips and tricks, as featured in ELLE, to help you up your avocado game. Click the links to find out the best things you can do with this healthy food of choice.
1) Who Knew You Could Do This With An Avocado?
You've smashed them, grilled them, and whizzed them into a smoothie. Now discover the latest way to prepare an avocado - shaving!
2) We Should All Eat Crumble And 4 More Health Tips For The Week
It's official, Britain is health-food mad. After the rise of healthy bloggers and recipe books last year, the sales of avocado boomed by 24 per cent. ELLE takes a look at some of the health tips you should definitely know about - as if you needed another reason to tuck into your avo on toast!
3) Finally! The Emojis We've All Been Waiting For
All hail the avocado emoji! In October last year, the Unicode Consortium presented 67 candidates for new emojis, one of which was our most beloved superfood. Can I hear a hallelujah!
4) Seven Food Trends That Need to Disappear
Has eating - and instagramming - your avocado become just an annoyingly smug habit that needs to disappear? ELLE takes a look at some of the most irritating food trends.
5) Turns Out You've Been Eating Your Avocado All Wrong
Just when you've finally nailed your avocado and poached eggs creation (and gained that perfect instagram shot), you're told you've been eating it all wrong. According to the advice of website One Green Planet, you should also be eating the - wait for it - stone. (Yes - you read that right!) ELLE tells you how.
6) 7 Beauty Hacks You Never Knew You Could Do With An Avocado
Turns out avocado can do a lot more than just up your brunching game - it can also be incorporated into your beauty regime. From a lip scrub to a hair mask, is there really no end to this superfood's talents?
7) ELLE Eats: The Ultimate Vegetarian Salad
ELLE food bloggers Laura Jackson and Alice Levine give you the ultimate vegetarian salad recipe - complete with avocado (of course!)
8) ELLE UK To Launch Brand New Magazine
Introducing AvocadELLE, the new bimonthly magazine brought to you by team ELLE, featuring all the latest news, views and style inspiration from the nation's favourite superfood - the avocado!
Now you've read about the many exciting uses of the avocado, here are some useful tips to help you ripen, store and cut it. Avocado for dinner anyone?
How To Ripen Your Avocado In 10 Minutes
There's nothing worse than going to prepare your favourite avo and chilli on toast, and discovering that your avocado isn't yet ripe. But fear not! There is a quick and easy way to ripen your avocado, which won't leave you wailing into a bowl of cereal. Simply grab your avocado, wrap it in foil, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 200F, or until soft. Breakfast sorted.
How To Store Your Avocado - Without It Going Brown
It's the ultimate kitchen dilemma - you only want to eat half an avocado, but you don't know how to stop the other half from going brown. Try these tips to keep your avocado fresh and tasty (results may vary):
Tip 1) Squeeze some lemon juice onto the avocado
Tip 2) Leave the pit in the avocado and wrap in plastic foil
Tip 3) Put the avocado into an airtight container, along with some cut up onion
Tip 4) Place the avocado in a water bath
How To Tell If Your Avocado Is Ripe
We've all been there. Staring cluelessly at the hundreds of avocados in the supermarket, not knowing which we should take home for dinner. There are, however, a couple of fool-proof ways to tell if your avocado is ripe:
Tip 1) Check the colour. A ripe avocado will be a dark brown. Greener ones are not yet ripe
Tip 2) Gently squeeze the avocado. If it yields to gentle, firm pressure, it's ready to eat. If it is still firm, it's not yet ripe. Watch out for overly mushy avocados - if they feel too squishy, they've become over ripe!
How To Cut An Avocado
For avocado first-timers, this can often be a baffling mystery. Place the avocado in the palm of your hand, and using a sharp knife, slice all the way around. Twist and pull apart. To remove the stone, take your knife and stab the blade into the middle of the stone. Twist and pull out (making sure to watch your fingers!)
