If You're Not Baking Your Avocados, You're Seriously Missing Out

Avocados are one of those ingredients you'll never regret having available in your kitchen thanks to their versatility. You can mash them for a quick guacamole with chips or make brunch classic avocado toast. They can add a subtle creaminess to sandwiches and burgers or be sprinkled atop a grain bowl for extra fat and flavor. They're even a bit of a baking secret weapon, as you can swap butter out for avocado in a wide variety of baked goods. However, if you're not baking avocados, you're not using the beloved ingredient to its full potential. A few minutes in the oven amps up avocado creaminess even more.

Now, we're not suggesting you bake your avocados before adding them to your tacos or salads — that would likely result in unappealing, mushy brown chunks. Instead, seek out recipes that use the avocado as a bowl. 

One popular option you may have seen before is where an egg is cracked in the space left by the avocado pit, allowing you to make two half-avocados with a runny egg interior — a match made in heaven. And, if you're stumped trying to figure out what to top your avocado with, you can take inspiration from dishes that use the fruit as a topping or other component. Take your favorite guacamole flavors and top your avocado with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and a spritz of lime juice. Or, if you love sushi with avocado, layer on some roasted seaweed and smoked salmon to capture some of those flavors.

The shape of an avocado and the area in the middle left empty when the pit is removed make it a perfect vessel for just about any toppings. The skin essentially serves as a ready-made bowl to contain all your flavors. Cut your avocados in half, remove the pit, and place them skin down. Then fill the avocado bowls with your toppings of choice. If you're concerned about the halves rolling to one side, place them on crinkled foil to keep them positioned, or slice a small section from the bottom of the avocado for a flatter base.

The only thing to keep in mind is that, since you don't want to bake your avocado for too long (about 8 to 12 minutes is typically all it takes, depending on the fruit's ripeness), you don't want a topping that needs to be baked for ages. 

Things like meat or vegetables that take a long time should be pre-cooked before being placed atop your baked avocado. It's also worth noting that baking can actually ripen it, so this technique isn't one you want to try out with an avocado that is borderline too soft already.