Avocado lovers know the struggle of finding the perfectly ripe avocado. Buy one too ripe, and you’ll end up with a mushy mess, while an underripe avocado is hard and tasteless. Here are four ways to tell if an avocado is ripe and ready to enjoy:

1. Color

One of the most straightforward ways to check an avocado’s ripeness is by looking at its color. Ripe avocados typically change from bright green to a darker shade of green, almost black, while unripe avocados have a brighter green hue. However, color isn’t always an accurate indicator of ripeness as different varieties can have different shades. Nevertheless, it’s a good starting point in assessing your avocado’s readiness.

2. Feel the firmness

A gentle squeeze can reveal a lot about an avocado’s ripeness. Using the palm of your hand and applying very light pressure, give the fruit a bit of a hug. A ripe avocado will yield slightly but still feel firm overall. If it’s too hard or feels rock-solid, it’s likely underripe. On the other hand, if it feels mushy or leaves deeper indentations under gentle pressure, it’s overripe.

3. Test the stem

The stem end of the fruit has another handy secret for telling if an avocado is ripe. Gently push back and forth on the small stem at the top of the avocado – ideally, it should come off easily when it’s ripe. Removing this stem will also give you a sneak peek at what’s inside as the exposed small area will either be green (ripe), brown (overripe), or very light green (underripe).

4. The ‘shake test’

This method requires you to pay attention to sound rather than physical appearance or touch. Hold the avocado close to your ear and gently shake it back and forth. If you hear a rattling sound, it means the avocado is overripe and its seed has started to detach from the flesh. No sound, on the other hand, signifies an appropriately ripe or still ripening avocado.

Armed with these four methods for telling if an avocado is ripe, you’ll be better prepared to make delicious guacamole, salads, and other avocado-based dishes without any hassle. Remember that ripeness can vary among avocados sitting together in a grocery store or your fridge, so it’s always best to test each fruit individually to enjoy them at their best.