So-called "Lite" Avocados: A Review

Perhaps you have seen them sitting in the produce section, looking like an exaggerated avocado that will never ripen. But ripen they do, which is how I found myself eating one of these low-fat versions of my delicious, (good-)fat-filled friend. 

As you have probably noticed, it is next to impossible to find a perfectly ripe avocado at the supermarket, even at peak season, unless you live in California. Faced with an urgent need for immediate avocado satisfaction I selected the ripest Hass there was and, as back-up, a ripe Lite. The Hass proved sufficient for our needs, but I still had this other monstrosity on my hands. I decided to try it out on top of a quesadilla.

First off, these things are huge. Twice the size of the sad little avocados we get in these parts. As soon as you cut into it, though, you realize that half the volume is pit, itself 100% larger than that of a Hass. Otherwise, it's business as usual. Light green flesh, getting slightly darker toward the edges. So I sliced it four or five times lengthwise and proceeded to scoop it out of the skin with a spoon per usual. It was then that I noticed the first signs of the big difference. The slices...break? Oh well, onto the plate they go with some salt on top.

The taste and texture (mouthfeel, for those of you who get a kick out of that ridiculous word) are close to what you would come up with if you imagined an avocado with less fat. It's still got that firm-until-you-smoosh-it-but-then-kind-of-buttery texture, but with less buttery-ness. In fact, it's slightly watery where a Hass is creamy. And like the low-fat version of any food, it's less delicious. The good news, though, is that it's close enough as long as you're not going to eat it straight. In other words, don't make guacamole out of this thing, but it's fine to put a couple of slices inside a burrito. It'll cool things down if, like residents of The Rowe School, you douse everything that comes in a tortilla with Cholula. B–.