Things perhaps you didn't know about the green fruit

Avocados have a reputation for being high maintenance, but use these handy tips, and it doesn’t have to be that way.

They’re healthy, packed chock full of nutrients and vitamins, including copper, folate and vitamin K, not forgetting those "good-for-you" fats.

Whether livening up eggs on toast or mashed into your favourite guacamole, avocados are also versatile and easy to incorporate into just about any dish.

But there's no doubt they boast an air of mystic. Are they a fruit? A vegetable? How do you know exactly when that flesh turns from green to brown?

Here we clear up a few of those questions.

Tip #1: Wash the skin

Listeria and salmonella bacteria can live on the skin of an avocado. When you slice through the skin, any bacteria could be transferred to the flesh you are about to eat.

Before slicing an avocado, rinse it off thoroughly.

Tip #2: Watch what you eat

Yes, the avocado is a fat of the healthy kind, but you don’t need to eat a lot of avocado in one sitting to reap health benefits.

In fact, be cautious about the amount you consume because one whole avocado contains the recommended daily fat content for an entire day.

Tip #3: When is my avocado ready to go?

Sometimes it’s obvious, especially when it's hard or soft to the touch. But that isn't the only way.

Take your avocado and pull off the stem nub at the top and check to see what colour the avocado is inside. If it looks mostly green, it’s not quite ripe yet; if it’s yellow, you’re good to go.

Unfortunately, if it’s brown, you probably need to throw it on the compost.

Tip #4: Where do I keep avocados?

Store ripe avocados in the fridge, and keep unripe ones on the kitchen counter.

If an avocado is already soft and darker in colour, it probably means it’s ripe, which means you should eat it within 48 maximum and it should stay in the fridge.

If your avocados are still green and hard, they make great vegan burger buns. Otherwise keep them at room temperature on the counter until they soften.

A few other things to consider:

1. Keep the pit in. This helps prevent air from getting to unexposed parts of the avocado.
2. Drizzle on some lemon or lime juice. The ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in the juice will help prevent oxidation, which is what happens when your avocados turn brown.
3. Keep avocado halves covered. Use a paper bag, a reusable container, or a piece of foil to create a tight seal over the exposed parts of the avocado and prevent air from getting to it.