How To Ripen An Avocado

And we don't mean the old paper bag trick

There are plenty of ways to ripen an avocado, stat, but not all ripening methods are created equal. So which one works best?

Wrap the avocado in foil and place it in a 200-degree oven for up to one hour.

You can also use a microwave to expedite the process even more, but when we tried that method, the avocado turned brown and tasted off—and we're not one to sacrifice good taste for ease. That old trick of putting an avocado in a bag with a banana can take a full day for the ethylene to do its ripening job—which is definitely not fast when you need to satisfy that avocado toast craving ASAP.

The oven method works the best, and while rock-hard avocados can take up to an hour, nearly ripe ones will take less time. And if you don't jive with warm avocado, simply put it in the refrigerator to bring its temperature back down.