How to dice an avocado (and not your fingers!)

There may not be a perpetual summer in Maryland (like, say, southern New Mexico), but that doesn't stop me from eating my weight in avocados year-round! They are creamy, flavourful and mix so well in everything - from salsa and guacamole to apocalypse salad to dressing on an old-fashioned bed of mixed greens.

Fresh avocados can be tricky, though. You can get away with frozen avocado slices for salsa and guacamole and some dressings, but some of the time only fresh will do.

This entry was inspired by a friend of mine - specifically the five stitches in his hand that came from cleaning/pitting/dicing/otherwise preparing an avocado.

So here's the tarabu rundown on safely dicing an avocado:

First, slice vertically all the way around, starting on the fat side of the stem - this will leave you with a 'fat' side and a 'thin' side based on where your knife cut;
Next, carefully cradle the avocado in your palm, 'thin' side up. Slip the knife into the groove you cut and carefully pry up the narrow side and pop it off the pit;
Still cradling the fat half, lay your knife against the flesh of the fruit and carefully press the edge of the blade into the pit. Gently rock the knife back and forth - slightly rotating your hand on the axis from thumb to pinkie - until you loosen the pit and it pops out.
Then you have two beautiful avocado 'halves' ready to slice. Carefully slice the avocado flesh into strips, without cutting through the skin. If you are looking for slices, stop there, if you want dicing, carefully cut in the opposite direction, still without cutting the skin.
Finally, use a large metal tablespoon and, starting at the wide end of the avocado, carefully scoop the flesh out of the skin.

Look at that! You have carefully peeled, pitted and diced an avocado without a slippery slimy mess or a trip to the ER!

Written by tarabu.