10 Hacks To Keep You Safe From Avocado Hand

Update: With the recent onslaught of hand injuries taking place due to ominous "Avocado Hand" (a new medical term that's actually been coined by doctors in response to the influx of dangerous fruit-slicing mishaps), we figured now would be a handy time to review some avocado hacks — safety hacks that is. In addition to our eight stellar tips on selecting and slicing the best creamy greens below, we also have some precautionary pointers from the California Avocado Commission: "Use a suitable knife for cutting an avocado...Keep the avocado on the cutting board while cutting and de-seeding...Do not 'wack' the seed with a knife...Remove the seed by using a spoon." Keep these five tips in mind while moving forward with your pitting efforts — because if even Meryl Streep is at risk for avocado hand, then none of us are safe.

Our avocado love is so powerful that it can travel across the wide expanses of time and space; no matter the season, time of day, or place, we crave it. Without it our toasts would be bare, our salads sadder. That strange-looking little fruit holds the possibility of a perfectly creamy-dreamy green spread — but it also holds the high probability of a under or overripe nightmare.

Let's face it, finding the perfect avocado feels like one in a damn million. But before you grow weary and start to let your avo-love fade, don't worry! Because we've rounded up eight fool-proof hacks to ensure that every little oblong fruit you pick will have the promise of greatness. From establishing ripeness levels, to speeding up the ripening process in a pinch, and even proper slicing techniques, we've got them all (plus a few more) covered below.

Think of the all the underripe avocados that will be saved!

Life equals changed.

We've been doing it wrong all along...

Fast, easy, AND clean.

Never let that glorious green turn brown again!

Avocado like a pro.

For your avo-toast, of course.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all served.