| Carefully slide the knife longways through the avocado’s skin and flesh. When you feel the knife make contact with the smooth pit, rotate the knife around the pit (while turning the avocado with the other hand) to cut the avocado in two. |  |
| Twist the two halves around the pit and pull them cleanly apart. |  |
| The pit will stay in one half. Lightly stab the lower part of the blade into the pit, then twist the knife and avocado in opposite directions. |  |
| The pit should stick to the knife. |  |
| To discard the pit, carefully pull it off the knife or knock the heel of the knife against the rim of the trash can. |  |
| Scoop the avocado out with a spoon, being sure to keep the spoon moving along close to the skin so you don’t leave any flesh behind. You can either slice or dice the avocado while it’s still in the skin (like I did here), or wait until it’s scooped out on the cutting board. |  |
Whether you buy firm, greener avocados or soft, darker ones, remember that they should be consistently firm or soft all over — no bruises or soft spots. (If you buy firm ones, you'll need to let them ripen at home for a couple of days.)
