Avocado

It should yield slightly to gentle pressure near the stem, without feeling mushy. If it is firm, leave it at room temperature until it softens; a darkened skin alone does not guarantee ripeness.

Put it in a paper bag with a banana or apple and leave it at room temperature; the fruit’s natural ethylene helps it ripen faster. Check it daily, as the timing depends on how firm it was to start with.

Brush the exposed flesh with lemon or lime juice, press cling film directly against it, and refrigerate in an airtight container. The cut surface browns when exposed to air, so keeping air away matters most.

Yes. Mash the flesh with a little lemon or lime juice, seal it in a freezer-safe container with as little air space as possible, and freeze. The texture softens on thawing, so use it in dips, dressings or smoothies rather than slices.

Lemon or lime, chilli, tomatoes, coriander and crisp onion all work particularly well. Use slices in a sandwich or salad, or mash them for avocado toast and guacamole.

Mash ripe avocado with lime juice, salt and finely chopped onion; add tomato, coriander and chilli if you like. Keep it a little chunky and serve soon after making, with tortilla crisps or alongside tacos.

You can, but it is usually best added near the end: prolonged heat can make it soft and bring out a bitter flavour. Halved avocado can be briefly grilled cut-side down until lightly charred, then dressed with lime.

Botanically, avocado is a fruit: it develops from a flower and contains a large seed. In cooking it is often treated like a vegetable, used in savoury salads, toast and dips.

Avocado is the main ingredient; guacamole is a seasoned dip made from avocado, often with lime, onion, tomato, coriander or chilli. Per 100 g, avocado has 136 kcal and guacamole has 166 kcal.