How To Remove Avocado Pit

Many people injure themselves quite badly when trying to remove avocado pits.

How to remove avocado pits without slicing yourself

These four tricks should help salvage your digits from potential tragedy.

Katrina Clarke Staff Reporter

Wed., June xiv, 2022 2 min. read

Article was updated Jun. 15, 2022

A new condition called "avocado hand" is affecting everyone from brunch-going millennials to guacamole-loving seniors. Emergency room doctors say the condition can be serious and typically presents as a stab wound to the palm or a deep cut along the fingers.

If you haven't already guessed — yes, people are injuring themselves trying to hack pits out of avocados. Information technology even happened to Meryl Streep.

In an effort to save your own precious hands from gruesome avocado-related injuries, I did a deep dive into alternative pit-removal methods suggested by nutrient bloggers and on cooking websites and tested out their most trustworthy-seeming suggestions.

Test one: Quarter and pull

The quarter and pull method seems to be the least effective way of removing a pit.

The test: Using a chef's knife, I sliced the avocado lengthwise and twisted the ii halves apart. I then cut lengthwise into the exterior of the half with the pit in information technology and peeled one of the quarters off the pit. So, I held the remaining avocado quarter with the pit in it in one hand and pulled out the pit with my other hand.

The effect: The avocado was stuck firmly to the pit and when I tried to pull off the 1 segment, I squished the flesh. But when I grabbed the pit in the remaining avocado quarter, information technology easily popped out. Besides hands — it shot beyond the table.

The rating: 7/10 for ease, condom and effectiveness

Test two: Dishtowel and strike

The dishtowel and strike method is a slightly safer way to extract a pit than the traditional hacking method.

The test: This method is basically a safer version of the usual hacking method. The dishtowel is meant to provide a better grip on the avocado and a layer of protection in example the pocketknife slips — but it's still risky. Attempting information technology, I cut the avocado lengthwise, then twisted the 2 halves apart. Side by side, I draped a dishtowel over my palm and placed the avocado on the dishtowel. Then, I held my chef'southward knife two inches away and stuck the pit with the precipitous end of my knife, near the heel. Once the pocketknife was lodged into the pit, I twisted the pit out of the avocado.

The result: The pit came out easily, right away.

The rating: viii/10 for ease and effectiveness

Test iii: Spoon and scoop

The spoon and scoop method is one of the easiest ways to pop out a pit.

The test: I cut the avocado lengthwise, then twisted the two halves apart. Then I took a medium-sized spoon and scooped the pit out.

The result: This method worked surprisingly well. The pit popped out equally shortly as the spoon was under it.

The rating: ix/x for ease, safety and effectiveness

Test four: Slice and piece

The slice and slice method results in three pieces of avocado.

The test: I sliced the avocado crosswise this fourth dimension, simply higher up the middle of the avocado, and pulled the peak part off. Then, I sliced crosswise once again, about 5 cm below the starting time cut. I pulled the two sections autonomously. Holding the eye part of the avocado with the pit lodged in it, cutting lengthwise and then peeled the flesh off the pit.

The result: Again, this worked surprisingly well, though I wonder if it helped that the pit was small.

The rating: 8/x for ease, safety and effectiveness

The decision

While I'm partial to hacking into avocados, I also want to go on all my fingers. In the proper noun of safe, I suggest you lot go with the spoon and scoop method.

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