No lemon, no cling film: to keep an avocado green longer, start by not cutting it in half

You cut an avocado to make toast or guacamole, but you only used half? The problem is that once cut, the fruit tends to change color quickly. Its lovely green flesh then gives way to a brown hue that isn't very appetizing.

To avoid this, we already know several little tricks, such as adding lemon juice or keeping the avocado with its pit. But there's another, much less well-known method, which simply involves changing how you cut it, explain our colleagues at The Guardian.

Instead of cutting the avocado in half lengthwise, the idea is to remove only the top end. This creates a small opening through which you can scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Why does this way of cutting the avocado work?

Actually, it all comes down to air exposure. Once cut, the avocado flesh comes into contact with oxygen and begins to oxidize. That's why it turns that familiar brown color. With this technique, only a small portion of the fruit is opened. The rest of the flesh remains safely protected under the skin. So, if you're not going to eat the whole avocado at once, you can simply scoop out what you need from the top and put the rest back in the refrigerator.

This doesn't mean the avocado will stay green for several days. It will inevitably spoil once cut. But since less flesh is directly exposed to the air, it can stay fresh longer than a halved avocado. Keep in mind, however, that the flesh around the pit is particularly creamy. So, when you cut the avocado from the top, you won't necessarily reach that part right away.

If you like your avocados very soft, this is a detail that might matter. Otherwise, the technique is quite practical when you only need a small amount of avocado. No need to add lemon or use a whole host of tricks. Simply don't cut the fruit in half.