How do you do, fellow millennials?

A week or so ago I saw a few people joking about being too afraid to buy avocados. The joke is–of course–that the window from ripe to rotten can close shockingly fast, which makes buying them risky. It’s funny because it’s true. And until recently I was one of those people who just didn’t want to *bother* with avocados. BUT I think avocados are wonderful–they’re delicious and because they’re filled with good fats they’re great for you. So I’ve started buying them (a lot) and using them and here’s how I got over my fear:

1.) I start with one simple trick: I refrigerate them. Now, actually avocados should not be refrigerated. So when you bring them home from the store, do not immediately stick them in the fridge. But if you’ve bought them, you haven’t used them, they’re ripe, and your scared they’re going to turn, put them in the fridge. It severely retards the ripening process, buying you at least a day or two to use them so the pressure’s off. Ever since I’ve learned this, I’ve had a much better relationship with this goofy fruit. (Ripe avocados should have brown/purply skin, with most or all of the the original green gone. They should have a little bit of give. Avocados with a lot of give are probably too far gone.)

Here are some quick, easy ways to use ripe avocados:

Make a super-quick salad with thinly-sliced avocado, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. Optional: add some thinly-sliced tomato and/or onion and/or the juice of half a lime.

Make a quick guacamole: barely-mashed avocado with lemon or lime juice, a bit of garlic and onion, and some heat (use minced jalapeño or red pepper flakes.) Optional: add some diced tomatoes and/or cilantro.

It’s cliched, but, sure, mash it up and put it on toast.

Use it as a topping for fajitas, tacos or any Mexican-inspired soup.

Just don’t be afraid of avocados. They are your friends.

If you’ve got a quick, easy way to use up ripe avocados, share.