How A Hand Surgeon (Safely) Cuts Avocados
⌚️ read time: 4 minutes
Every year, an estimated 9,000 patients are seen in the emergency room for hand injuries related to cutting an avocado. That's nearly 25 people per day!
While we all love this versatile, smooth, and creamy fruit (?), you’ve probably had that moment that was way too close for comfort. And unfortunately, I’ve treated countless scary encounters with avocados and knives.
So. Let’s move beyond those days and keep your fingers in good shape. Here are some important tips to follow to avoid a visit to your local hand surgeon.
1. Choose The Right Knife
The first thing you absolutely must do is choose the right knife. And by ‘the right knife,’ I mean select a sharp knife. Contrary to what you might think, the sharper the better!
Dull knives require you to use excessive force that can result in a painful slip.
A sharp knife will glide through the avocado with ease. And always cut away from your steadying hand!
2. Begin The Cut
Position your knife directly over the avocado and use a gentle sawing motion to initiate entry through the tough skin. Do not use excessive force!
Once through, cut directly downward - stop as soon as you feel the knife strike the pit. The fingers of your hand not holding the knife should be nowhere near the knife. In a perfect world, both hands are on top of the knife gently pushing straight down.
If you must use your other hand to steady the avocado, be extremely careful and never direct any knife force in the direction of your fingers.
Remember. Straight down!
3. Spin To Win
This tip and the next tip are the ones that most people leave out.
Once you've reached the pit, turn the avocado 90 degrees so that your knife is now parallel to the floor. Carefully and slowly spin the avocado (leave the knife stationary and spin the avocado around it) so that you cut down to the level of the pit in a 360-degree fashion.
ALWAYS keep your non-dominant hand above the level of the knife as you spin. Avocado knife injuries occur when you have misjudged the firmness or softness of the fruit and slip, so go slow and be deliberate.
4. Quadrants Are The Key
Once you've completed this cut, peel the two halves apart and cut the avocado a second time, resulting in four quadrants. For the half with the pit, repeat the Step 3 spin technique above.
This is the subtle but most important step to effortless pit extraction (ie, avoiding the most dangerous step of cutting avocados).
5. Peel And Pit With Your Hands
Once it's in four quadrants, you can easily peel the pieces apart by hand and remove the pit with your fingers.
This avoids the need for any sort of knife work to spear, skewer, or stab the pit for removal. This is almost always the step that results in a miserable hand injury. Tendons, nerves, arteries. Unfortunately, they all live in the hand right behind where you hold that slippery pit.
Now that you have the avocado apart and the pit out, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Takeaways:
The sharpest knife is the safest knife
Always be aware of your steadying hand. Perfect technique involves a spin maneuver with your hand above the knife at all times.
Cutting the avocado into quadrants is crucial. This allows you to remove the pit with your hands — eliminating the need for some wild stab move.
So there you have it. Whether you’re cutting up an avocado for that favorite guacamole recipe or just having one on its own as a quick snack, these tips and tricks should keep you safe and enjoying your avocados for years to come.
Should you find yourself with an avocado injury, immediately hold pressure on the area to stop the bleeding. If it either hasn’t stopped in 10-15 minutes, you notice numbness in a finger, or you can’t bend a finger, you should seek emergency medical care.
If your emergency medicine provider determines that you need to follow up with a hand surgeon for further care, do not delay. Many injuries are best repaired within 5-7 days following the injury.
