How To Safely Slice Avocados To Avoid The Dreaded 'Avocado Hand'

From crunchy southwestern salads to zesty bowls of guacamole, an avocado can elevate just about any dish you can think of. Thanks to the mild taste, bakers use it in batches of brownies and batters in lieu of creams and butters, and plenty of breakfast lovers can't go a day without smearing it on their morning toast. Even entire restaurants have sprouted up with whole menus revolving around the fruit. (Remember the Avocaderia from Shark Tank?)

While avocados excel in many categories like versatility and lovely textures, one pitfall of the fruit is that they're not usually the easiest to cut. That's why special avocado slicers exist — the fruit's makeup is unlike any other thing in the market. Because of the avocado's tricky slicing process, it can sometimes feel like it's almost impossible to cut an avocado safely. The experience is surprisingly dangerous — doctors have even turned the phrase "avocado hand" into a real medical term. Well, there are better ways to cut avocados, so here's how to safely slice avocados to avoid the dreaded "avocado hand."

Avocados are one of the most popular fruits in the world. In the U.S. alone, people consume over three billion pounds of the fruit every year according to Statista. While many people enjoy eating an avocado, many others are injured while trying to slice into it. In 2017, 6,000 people were hospitalized with an avocado-slicing related injury per a study in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 

These injuries are largely due to the dangerous way some choose to cut into the fruit. Many people attempt to get into an avocado by cutting it in half,using a knife to remove the pit, then scooping the inside out with a spoon. While this sounds simple enough, injuries have often occurred during the pit removal process — with some people accidentally slicing their non-dominant hand or fingers in the process. This is the dreaded "avocado hand."

While most of these accidents do not require surgery, some do, and it's still best to practice extra precautions whenever slicing an avocado. Hand surgeon Ryan Endress shared some knife safety tips with NPR to avoid getting hurt, saying, "It's best to just avoid holding whatever item you're cutting, and if you are going to hold what you're cutting, always cut away from yourself." To avoid injury altogether, we say it's best to switch up your avocado-slicing game altogether. Luckily, we have just the technique to get you there.

While you might be eager to cut into your avocado when preparing a meal, always set aside enough time to properly slice your fruit (so you can avoid the embarrassment of having to tell your family you're in the ER with an "avocado hand"). One crafty chef from TikTok shared a genius method for slicing avocados so you no longer have to hold your breath while you hack at the pit. Without further ado, here's how to safely slice one of America's most popular fruits.

First, grab an avocado. Then, slice into it with a knife lengthwise, making a cut all the way around it like you normally would (but don't separate the two halves just yet). Now, make the same cut perpendicular to the first one until your avocado is sectioned into four complete quarters. Now, begin to peel away each layer. As you pull away the last quarter, you should be able to easily pluck the pit away from the inside. And you're done. It's as simple as that. So don't risk an expensive trip to the hospital when you can easily switch up your avocado-cutting game instead.