Jet Tila's Avocado Hack Will Tell You When It's Ripe

If you're a Millennial-identifying diner, you know that avocados can be incorporated into almost every meal. Following the rise of the iconic Instagram-worthy avocado toast, the hype for avocados has been real and growing every day. Considering the sheer variety of avocado recipes, from guacamole to green eggs and tomato salad to ceviche, it's no wonder the fruit flies off the shelves at nearly every grocery store.

According to Statista, nearly 3 billion pounds of avocados were consumed in the United States in 2021. With the fruit needing a full year to fully mature and grow, that means that millions of avocados are growing right now to one day land on the shelves of your local grocery store. While you may already have explored methods to ripen your avocados, how do you know when they're actually ripe? Sure, you could bruise your perfectly fine fruit by pressing into it, but did you know there is an easier method embraced by pro chef Jet Tila?

Food Network star Jet Tila recently took it upon himself to show the world his favorite hack when it comes to figuring out the ripeness of an avocado. The chef posted a simple Instagram video showing his hands gripping an avocado, explaining that while "most people kind of push down to see if the avocado is ripe," the best way is to press on "the little button that connects to the tree." He then proceeds to push down on the brown stem cap found at the top of an avocado, claiming that if it "sinks" into the fruit, then it is totally ripe and ready for cutting and eating. 

"Brilliant! Thanks Jett," said one Instagram user, while another gushed, "Thank you seriously thank you. You taught me how to find a ripe avocado. And I'm tired of buying them without knowing that they're ripe." Tila isn't the only one who looks at an avocado's stem cap to see if the fruit is ripe, although his method is a little unique. Instead of pressing onto the cap, Good Housekeeping suggests peeling it off entirely to check the color underneath. If it won't come off, the avocado is unripe; if it's brown underneath, it's a little overripe; and if it's green underneath, it's perfect.