# Destoning avocados - How do you do it?



## Rosco (Aug 20, 2014)

I found out last week that a friend of ours cut her hand really badly while destoning avovados for guacamole. She severed a nerve and an artery, bled really badly, got to hospital and got patched up. Still not got full use or feeling of the finger she damaged and was having an operation last week.
After the initial concern and astonishment died down I thought: "I bet the guys on the forum don't use their good knives for destoning avocados", so my question is this: How do you destone an avocado? I've never actually used one myself as its about a foreign as it gets to an Irish man. Hoping there is a better way that I can tell her to use, and might even try my hand at some guacamole myself!


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## Seth (Aug 20, 2014)

Well, sorry to hear about her. I do whack, not necessary too hard, but I put the avocado half on the cutting board. Never seemed right to swing a knife, especially as sharp as I get them, toward your hand. Care should be taken when removing the stone from the blade also. Whats-his-name from our forum did a good video on this. Of course I can't find it now.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 20, 2014)

If you want to be totally safe, use a tablespoon.

If you use a knife, once you've twisted the stone or pit from the avocado, don't try to grab it and pull it off the blade, as that's where most accidents happen. Instead, use your thumb and forefinger to pinch it off, with your palm over the spine.


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## Zwiefel (Aug 20, 2014)

While he didn't originate this technique (at the least it was my exact technique when I encountered the video), I consider this to be the best approach I've seen:

[video=youtube;yXXb-KdKI_U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXXb-KdKI_U[/video]


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## daveb (Aug 20, 2014)

This is Eamon's vid - I adopted this technique and have used it since. (Not sure who's knife he's using...(Did I just say that?))

[video=youtube_share;yXXb-KdKI_U]http://youtu.be/yXXb-KdKI_U[/video]



Edit - Posting at same time.


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## Zwiefel (Aug 20, 2014)

daveb said:


> This is Eamon's vid - I adopted this technique and have used it since.




Pfffftt....copycat. :tease:


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## Seth (Aug 20, 2014)

Zwiefel - that was the video I was looking for. I would add to PT's comment that if the stone is on tight use the side of your waste bin or cutting board; a little tap in the direction to knock off the stone. The potential spring back into the sharp blade from trying to pull the stone off, non-pinch style, gives me nightmares. Also, Irish notwithstanding, you need to explore the potential of avocados; great texture and buttery flavor.


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## mkriggen (Aug 20, 2014)

Meh...just use a spoon


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## 99Limited (Aug 20, 2014)

I've been doing it Eamon's way since before Eamon was a little sperm.


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## Dusty (Aug 21, 2014)

After destoning, when the stone is still on the knife, I simply rock-chop straight through the stone to get it off the knife. No fingers near blade edge for me.


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## Chifunda (Aug 21, 2014)

99Limited said:


> I've been doing it Eamon's way since before Eamon was a little sperm.



Ditto. 

Boy, do I yearn for the days when we lived in CA and shopping for avocados meant walking out back and deciding which ones to pick.


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## larrybard (Aug 21, 2014)

With apologies to all you professional chefs and other talented, experienced cooks, but I'm with Seth on this (if I understand his posts correctly). Holding the avocado half in one's hand is IMHO not worth the risk for the average home cook, whether the knife is quite sharp or (yes, shudder!) a bit on the relatively dull side. Either way I think there's too great a likelihood that if one's aim is a bit off -- yeah, some of us may just be sadly a bit lacking in the motor skills/coordination department -- the sort of injury that Rosco's friend experienced will result. I much prefer to play it safe and put the avocado half with pit on a cutting board. Yeah, that means it won't be held securely, which creates an opportunity for all sorts of additional undesired outcomes (e.g., half is not hit squarely and is propelled onto floor), but all things considered I'd rather donate blood in a more planned, intentional manner, like with the Red Cross.


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## daveb (Aug 21, 2014)

For the extreme safety conscious cook there's always this:








Won't cut your fingers, won't cut your hand, won't cut your avocado.


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## 99Limited (Aug 21, 2014)

larrybard - I see your method as a way to sever some finger tips or at least a way to peel back some skin. When you have the avocados in your hand you have secure control, control being the key here. And when you go to impale the pit on your blade. It's not like you're taking a full on swing. I see my method way, way less dangerous to my hand than the way I see pros slicing 'n dicing onions and other produce.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 21, 2014)

Instead of putting it on a board, hold it in a doubled over towel.


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## erickso1 (Aug 21, 2014)

To each his own. Spoon works if the knife isn't up your alley. 

I feel my chances of taking a finger off are much greater in dicing the avocado for guacamole then in the act of destoning it. Whether that means I should dice with a spoon is up for debate.


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## panda (Aug 21, 2014)

Dave what the hell is that monstrocity!!??


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## Seth (Aug 21, 2014)

99Limited said:


> larrybard - I see your method as a way to sever some finger tips or at least a way to peel back some skin. When you have the avocados in your hand you have secure control, control being the key here. And when you go to impale the pit on your blade. It's not like you're taking a full on swing. I see my method way, way less dangerous to my hand than the way I see pros slicing 'n dicing onions and other produce.



On the other 'hand' if you can't whack on the board accurately, you shouldn't be whacking in your hand. (Oh boy, that doesn't sound right.) [You don't hold the avocado on the board, you tie your other hand behind your back. They teach you that in woodworking school.]


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## Zwiefel (Aug 21, 2014)

This. 



Pensacola Tiger said:


> Instead of putting it on a board, hold it in a doubled over towel.


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## mkriggen (Aug 21, 2014)

daveb said:


> For the extreme safety conscious cook there's always this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



[video=youtube;RV7Qz640OeM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV7Qz640OeM&list=PLgfAtmhEJA5lZRcj2Ed4FnpaHil1wTmlS[/video]


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## daveb (Aug 21, 2014)

panda said:


> Dave what the hell is that monstrocity!!??



This monstocity? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088LR592/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I do some part time prep - catering, demos, etc. for local culinary store. They like me to use it when prepping in front of customers. POS. 

I'm convinced the surest way to get rich in the kitchen is to invent something that does the job of a knife, make a dollar profit per and sell a million of them. Repeat.


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## apicius9 (Aug 21, 2014)

Avocados are evil.

Stefan


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## ecchef (Aug 22, 2014)

Kinda makes me wonder what the skill level of the OP's friend was. Did she see someone do it on tv or YouTube and think 'Yup...I can do that!' ?


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 22, 2014)

Time for this video, eh?

[video=youtube;dNJdJIwCF_Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNJdJIwCF_Y[/video]


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## 99Limited (Aug 22, 2014)

That's the coolest foodie video I've ever seen.


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## Chifunda (Aug 22, 2014)

Love it when the chip breaks. :biggrin:


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## Mucho Bocho (Aug 22, 2014)

Love it PT. Good technique, maybe the Jalapeño not so much.


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## Zwiefel (Aug 22, 2014)

PES is awesome, he has quite a few stop-motion animation videos on his channel. Here's another food-related one. And I'd double down on the Jalepeno MB 

[video=youtube;qBjLW5_dGAM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBjLW5_dGAM&amp;list=PLE30DFC5B7FA8E6E2[/video]


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## Mrmnms (Aug 22, 2014)

These vids are too cool boys. Thanks for sharing.
It's easy to get distracted in a busy kitchen. Particularly with the kind of knives used by forum members, I offer the same advice I give my 6 year old daughter almost constantly. "PayAttention!" Apologies if this sounds patronizing.


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## Clarence (Aug 24, 2014)

I use a knife but I don't swing anything. I just press the avocado seed firmly into the blade and when it's deep enough, I twist.


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## apathetic (Aug 24, 2014)

So I tried this technique for the first time today, took the avocado, sliced it as shown. I was puzzled to feel it a bit hard to slide the avocado forward on the blade as I was cutting around it. When I was separating the 2 halves I realised why: my knife had bitten all the way to half of the core!
Anyway works perfectly fine, thanks for sharing :lol2:


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## Rosco (Aug 24, 2014)

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to my own thread but my wife had our second child (A little girl) on Saturday so I've been a little busy.
Thanks for all the info on what must seem like a simple task to most of you. The video is very helpful. I honestly didn't think most people on here would use a knife to de-stone the avocado. I take it that the act of impaling an avocado stone on your knife is unlikely to do much damage to the edge. 
While I can't vouch for my friend's knife skills, she is a pretty darn good cook and uses avocados on a regular basis. I think she must have injured herself removing the stone from the knife, but at least now when I see her again and get all the details I will have some useful advice (a little late) for her on how to avoid this kind of thing.
Might have to get me some avocados this week and see what I can do with them.
Thanks to all.


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## 99Limited (Aug 24, 2014)

Rosco said:


> Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to my own thread but my wife had our second child (A little girl) on Saturday ....



:bliss: :jumping3: :bliss: 

Congratulations, what's her name????


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## osakajoe (Aug 24, 2014)

You never use your good knives to cut into something hard. 

Just hold the avocado on your hand and use your knife to cut two full vertical circles around the avocado. Cutting deep enough to reach the seed but not cut into it. So basically cutting the avocado into 4 wedges. 
Simply pull the wedges away from the seed by hand, and hand peel them


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 24, 2014)

Rosco said:


> ... I take it that the act of impaling an avocado stone on your knife is unlikely to do much damage to the edge.



Correct. Avocado pits are not that hard, not like the stone in a peach, for example. However, if you don't get it deep enough into the pit you may damage the edge when you twist it out. It should penetrate about 3/8 inch.


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## boomchakabowwow (Aug 26, 2014)

i just nicked my hand as well. on a peach i was cutting open..the pit was kinda rotting, or split. it let my knife go all the way thru, to my hand. bummer.

with avacado..i hack the pit usually. if i am making guac..i just squeeze the entire thing out, and fish out the pits with a spoon. faster.


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## apicius9 (Aug 26, 2014)

Rosco said:


> Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to my own thread but my wife had our second child (A little girl) on Saturday so I've been a little busy.



I realize you are fairly new, but you HAVE to get your priorities straight - posting here always comes first   Congratulations to the whole family!

Stefan


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