Stop storing avocados wrong - simple hack keeps them fresh for a month

Avocados are a popular food staple and while they are the perfect addition to any breakfast, it can be frustrating when you slice into one to discover it has spoiled

Avocados are a summer favourite, the perfect addition to any breakfast, but there's nothing worse than cutting into the fruit only to find it's turned brown and spoiled. It can be maddening to waste money and food, but it appears many of us have been storing our avocados incorrectly - they should never be kept in water.

Amy Lynn Cross, a cook and founder of The Cross Legacy, has revealed that keeping avocados in water is a common food storage hack on social media, but it will only promote bacteria which will contaminate the fruit. She stated: "These tips show people storing whole and halved avocados in water to keep them fresh longer.

"It has been all over social media. In reality, it could be making you sick." Instead, there's a much safer and more efficient way to keep avocados fresh for up to a month longer, reports the Express.

How to properly store avocados to keep them fresh for longer

Amy shared: "My 'secret elixir' for washing avocados is actually quite simple and easy on the budget. It's composed of two ingredients: cool water and five percent distilled white vinegar."

It might seem odd, but washing avocados as well as other fruits in a vinegar solution will kill any bacteria or contamination in the skin to help extend the shelf life.

To start, remove any stickers from the avocado skins and then place them in a bowl filled with cold water and 60ml of white vinegar.

Set your timer for a precise two minutes before popping in the avocados, but don't leave them soaking any longer or you might end up tasting vinegar in your fruit.

Once the timer dings, give the avocados a good rinse under the tap and let them air dry. It's crucial to ensure they're bone dry before tucking them away, as any dampness can invite unwanted bacteria and mould.

If your avocados are still a bit hard, pop them in a fruit bowl; if they're ready to eat, stash them in the fridge to halt the ripening process.

For the best shelf life, buddy up your avocados with lemons – they're a dream team that slows down each other's ripening, unlike when avocados rub shoulders with apples or bananas, which accelerates it.

Amy shared her top tip: "I have always stored my avocados in a drawer next to my lemons. It turns out that they help each other last longer.

"I won't get into the science behind this here, but unlike lemons, apples and bananas do not mix well with avocados. They speed up the ripening process."