Ripening Avocados

I can never get it right with avocados.  Either they are too hard to do anything with or I leave them out for too long and they go all squishy and brown, so not even suitable for guacamole.

So the way to do it is to ensure that the avocado is ripe just when you want it (durr!).  If you're not going to use it for a while, keep in the vegetable chiller drawer at the bottom of your fridge.  It will keep for ages without ripening.  Then, when you need it, you can put it in a dark cupboard or drawer (or a brown paper bag if you have one) with a banana and it will ripen really quickly.

An alternative, immediate way to ripen avocados which kind of works is to place in the microwave for 20 - 40 seconds.  However, I only use this when I am desperate as it makes the avocado too warm and it doesn't taste quite as nice.