Who doesn’t love a perfectly ripe avocado? “Perfect” is the key word here. There are a lot of questions around the quest for the perfect avocado. For instance:

• Does storing ripe avocados in the refrigerator prevent them from ripening?
• Does storing ripe avocados in the refrigerator turn their green flesh black?
• Should a ripe avocado EVER be stored in the refrigerator?
• Where do you store unripe avocados?
• And how do you store the leftover half of an avocado?

Martha Stewart’s online newsletter just happened to have answers to these questions. First of all, she says unripe supermarket avocados should be stored at room temperature on your kitchen counter. This will give them the chance to ripen. If unripe avocados are stored in the fridge, the ripening process almost grinds to a halt.

If yours is already ripe, you have a choice: Cut into it and enjoy it, or pop it in the fridge to help keep it at peak ripeness for a few more days. Be aware, though, that the riper the avocado, the less time it will last in the fridge. SLIGHTLY RIPE avocados typically last three to four days, maybe a day or two longer.

What to do if you cut into one only to realize it’s under-ripe? No need to fret. Just coat the avocado with a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil, cover it in plastic wrap, and keep it in the refrigerator until it softens.

And if you're only planning on eating half an avocado? Professional chefs all agree: keep the pit inside the other half and wrap the exposed surface with plastic wrap. Consume the half of the avocado within a day or two. If you find the cut surface of the saved half has browned while waiting to be used (and this is unappealing to you), simply cut off the top layer to reveal light green flesh underneath. But know that a browned avocado surface in no way affects its taste or nutrient content.

For avocado slices, you’ll want to top them with the above-mentioned lemon juice and olive oil, then cover them with an airtight lid or a layer of plastic wrap that's flush against the slices before refrigerating.

Now that we know how to achieve avocado perfectness, how about some ideas on what to do with them beyond guacamole and topping a burger? Consider these suggestions from Taste of Home:

• Along the burger idea, they’re scrumptious in a pulled pork sandwich.
• Or make bruschetta with avocado.
• They’re terrific when diced and added to veggie wraps or nachos.
• Their flavor blends well with shrimp, so add diced avocado to your shrimp cocktail.
• And seriously look including it in your toasted cheese layers (along with a few bacon slices!).
• Mash an avocado and add it to some mashed beans then spread this over whole grain toast for a healthy and heart breakfast dish or afternoon snack.
• Diced avocado also works wonderfully well in fruit salads. The color, texture, and flavor add a pleasant surprise.
• For a healthy substitute to hollandaise sauce, make avocado sauce instead.

And with that last suggestion I’ll close with a delicious avocado sauce recipe. We pour this over Eggs Benedict as well as over our tossed green salads. I’ve even made it a little thicker and used it as a sandwich spread instead of mayonnaise. Oh, praise the perfect avocado!

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