We use a lot of avocados and we recently used them to test Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe for Grilled Halibut with Mango-Avocado Salsa. It's always upsetting to watch a luscious (and expensive!) Hass avocado turn from vibrant green to icky brown after you've cut into it. I used to slice avocados just before serving, adding yet another time-sensitive step to getting dinner on the table. Then a visiting chef at my culinary school showed us that rinsing or submerging in cold water prevents the sliced (and exposed) fruit from browning for hours. So cool! So simple! So...mysterious! Even food scientist Shirley Corriher isn't sure what's going on. "Phenolic compounds cause the browning," she says. "Perhaps you're rinsing off enough of these compounds to slow the process." While we wait for a proven scientific explanation, we can just enjoy the phenomenon.
How to Keep Avocados From Turning Brown
How to keep avocados green? Here's a useful tip from the BA Test Kitchen--submerge them in cold water.
