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Two avocadoes may look the same size from the outside, but the one with a smaller seed will have more flesh and may thus be more desirable. So how do I tell which avocadoes have smaller seeds?

(Another fruit I can think of where the seed size can fluctuate significantly is the durian. Perhaps the trick for avocadoes and durians is similar.)

  • Also, lychees! Maybe by weight? Maybe the stone weighs more than the flesh of the fruit? I have not tested this yet... – Mien Jan 21 '15 at 14:33
  • I think this would be impossible to do in the supermarket, but there are several ways you could test this in a lab. – Mr. Mascaro Jan 21 '15 at 15:10
  • Not sure if this really answers your question, but you can simply seek out avocado varieties that tend to have smaller pits. I know that (in California) I've bought a smaller size avocado that has pits that are more teardrop shaped and a smaller fraction of the avocado. Unfortunately I have no idea what it's called - the store just said "small avocados". They look kinda like the Pinkerton [mentioned here](http://www.californiaavocado.com/avocado-varieties) except they were definitely small. – Cascabel Jan 21 '15 at 20:50

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You must remember that studies have shown that a normal avocado will have between 60% to 70% flesh. According to this Mental Masala blog post

The edible percentage is consistent across the span of weights, centered around 70%*, meaning that the amount of flesh you get from a Hass avocado is relatively independent of the total weight. The 70% result is consistent with UC Riverside's Avocado Information site, which states that the seed, skin, and flesh percentages for Hass avocados are approximately 16%, 12% and 72%, respectively.

So, it presents that across a test group of 19 avocados, there exists a linear growth pattern. Therefore, you could say that you can go to a grocery store and pick out any random avocado and it will very likely have a 15:15:70 ratio of seed:skin:flesh. Now, there could be the odd outlier with 1:1:99 or something, but that would be rare.

jsanc623
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    The needle method wouldn't account for variation such as the seed being off center -- unless you poked from at least two opposite sides, which I'm sure the store would love EVEN MORE. :) – Erica Jan 21 '15 at 18:54
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    @Erica very true! I should however emphasize that the store might kick you out for poking multiple avocados multiple times – jsanc623 Jan 21 '15 at 19:56
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    This answer seems to be for a different question ("What is the mean percentage of weight in an avocado that is flesh?"). My question is more: "How to pick avocadoes with above-average percentage of weight that is flesh?" –  Jul 03 '15 at 14:39
  • The answer correctly answers your question by making the assertion that short of stabbing through the avocado, or somehow measuring the density of the avocado, it's near impossible, as on average an avocado will have a 15/15/70 percent ratio of seed to skin to flesh. So, to extend on the density theory - buy an avocado, find the density of the flesh, the skin and the seed separately, then use that to measure a whole avocado to find an above-average fleshed avocado. – jsanc623 Jul 05 '15 at 02:45
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In my experience, the smallest seeds are always in the avocado with the most narrow teardrop or elongated top where the stem connects it to the branch. The more round, the larger the seed...even within the same bin or basket of fruit from the same source with the same label.

Erica
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Chuck
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    Welcome to Seasoned Advice. Just a quick tip: please stick to facts in your answers. The attitude does not add anything here. – Richard ten Brink Jul 02 '15 at 15:40
  • This seems to be consistent with my limited personal experience with avocados. It would be nice if there were a more scientific study of this. –  Jul 03 '15 at 14:40
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It's simple really. Elongated avacado's by definition have a smaller seed mass compared to the mass of the whole fruit than a rounded avacado.

Allan
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  • Only under the assumption that the thickness of avocado surrounding the skin is the same between two avocados with the same mass but different shape. I am not sure that this holds in reality, though. – rumtscho Feb 09 '16 at 10:13
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    Why is this true "by definition"? –  Feb 10 '16 at 06:33