"avocadoes" news and stories

Now I've heard everything.

A woman in Los Angeles is suing Kraft Foods because the avocado dip she bought wasn't really guacamole. Or, in her exact words, "it didn't taste avocadoey." She's seeking damages and wants to force Kraft from calling the dip "guacamole." Kraft says that they aren't deceiving anyone because the labels list the ingredients. However, they have decided to change the labels, to point out a little bit clearer that the dip is only "guacamole-flavored." Hmmm...should they change before the lawsuit is brought to a judge? Isn't that sort of admitting at least a little guilt, that you can see their point and you're changing the label? (I'm probably wrong on that. All I know about law is what I get watching reruns of Ed.)

I hate when my guacamole isn't "avocadoey" enough. It's the same thing when I get a Caesar's salad and it's not anchoviriffic, or when I buy banana bread and it's not bananatastic.

[via Obscure Store and Reading Room]

We have all heard it. It's this universal truth that once you cut an avocado, you have to perform all kinds of voodoo magic to keep it from turning brown - put the pit in with guacamole, sprinkle with lemon or lime juice right away, pray to the avocado gods, etc. Otherwise, your avocado is going to go from creamy luscious green to brown in a matter of...seconds?

But for some reason, this universal truth didn't sit well with me. I love avocados, and unless the avocado has those horrible brown streaks and spots to begin with, I have rarely had the problem of it turning brown right away. I always wondered if I just got lucky somehow.

I did a test to see if avocados really do turn brown, and if so, how long it takes.

Oxidation is essentially the process by which something starts to break down once it has been exposed to air, as some metals - notably iron and copper - will rust when left untended. When a cut fruit, such as an avocado, banana or apple is exposed to air, its flesh also begins oxidize, discoloring and turning to an unappetizing shade of brown. The trick to keep avocados, guacamole and any other dip with the buttery, green fruit from turning brown is to add citric acid to it.

Citric acid is a weak, naturally occuiring acid that is found in many fruits and vegetables, though its highest concentration is in lemons and limes, which are up to 8% citric acid. In addition to imparting a slightly sour taste to citrus fruits, it is a strong antioxidant. Adding just a teaspoon or two of the acid to a mashed avocado, or brushing a bit on the surface of an apple, will keep the fruit looking as though it were just cut. A splash of lemon or lime juice in your guacamole will keep it green and tempting from the moment it is made, until there isn't enough left to dip a chip.

It's a good thing Nicole highlighted avocadoes as an major player in the Super Bowl of food, because it's also the first food I'm talking about in a totally irregular, sporadic series of posts dedicated to feeding your face - the skin on your face that is, along with your hair, and maybe even your nails. Food certainly does wonders for your body from the inside when you eat it, but it certainly works natural miracles on the outside, too. Haven't we already seen a French toast facial?

Avocadoes, as we all know, taste good because they contain a lot of fat. Not to fear the freaded F-word! Even though it can be up to 25 grams per avocado, it's good fat for your body, and it's this fat that make avocadoes an amazing moisturizer. Alone, avocado can work as moisturizing mask, and mixed with a few other ingrdients, can be used as a cleanser, and even to remove under-eye circles. Just don't make guacamole with it once your face feels refreshed!

To make an all-avocado face mask, all you have to do is puree a quarter, or up to half an avocado (depending on the size of the avocado, and the size of your face), and apply it, by itself, to your clean face. Let it work its avocado-magic for 15 minutes, then rinse off.