Here’s How To Ripen Your Avocado When It’s Rock-Hard

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If you’re a fan of avocados, chances are you’ve been disappointed at the grocery store at some point with the selection. Maybe all of the avocados were green and hard, and it seemed like there was no chance in hell you could make guac for dinner. The next time this happens, don’t give up so quickly, there’s an easy way to ripen your avocado in the time it would take to watch an episode or two of “Chopped.” All you need is an oven and tin foil.

To ripen your avocado preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the avocado in tin foil and put it in the preheated oven. Check on it after 10 minutes to see its progress. You might need to keep it in the oven for up to an hour depending on how hard the avocado was when you started.

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Certain fruits like avocados and bananas release ethylene gas — a scent-less and invisible hydrocarbon gas that occurs naturally in fruits and causes them ripen. When ethylene gas is present, the ripening process speeds up. When you wrap the fruit up tightly in foil and warm it up, you’re surrounding the avocado with its own ethylene gas, which helps it to ripen faster.

The one drawback of this hack is how it affects the avo’s taste. You expect avocado to be buttery, smooth and a little rich. This technique might give you the soft texture that you’re looking for, but the taste might not be what you expected. It makes sense when you think about it. Giving your avocado the right amount of time to ripen on its own is always going to give you the best results, but if you’re pressed for time and you’re mixing the avocado with other ingredients anyway, this time-saving hack is perfect.