The Kitchen · Ingredient Library

Avocado

In one line

Nature's butter — creamy, satisfying, and one of the kindest fats you can eat.

Why I love it

A ripe avocado turns a piece of toast into breakfast and a salad into a meal. It's rich and grounding, full of the kind of fat that keeps you full and your skin happy.

Buying it

Buy them at different stages — a couple ripe, a couple firm — so you always have one ready. Ripe gives gently to a squeeze at the stem end; if the little stem cap pulls off green underneath, it's perfect.

Storing it

Ripen firm ones on the counter (faster in a paper bag with a banana), then move ripe ones to the fridge to hold a few days. A squeeze of lemon or lime keeps a cut one from browning.

Using it

Mash on sourdough toast, slice over eggs or a grain bowl, fold into a salad, or blend into a smoothie for silk. A little flaky salt is all it needs.

A little nutrition

Rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber and potassium — the good fat that helps you absorb the nutrients in everything around it.

Gina's tip

Don't buy a week of ripe avocados at once — buy a range of ripeness so one's always ready and none go to waste.