Hmm, I bet they taste just as wonderful as seedless watermelons do. Ick.

Looks promising. Edible skin? How bizarre.

I'm just baffled how often we hear about people cutting their hand while removing the pit. Come on, it is the biggest target and 18inches away. Rest on a fluffed kitchen towel on the counter or just stay away from knives. Or cover hand with towel, then hold avocado half in toweled hand.

I use these all the time. Especially when using a mandolin. Or when multi-tasking and in a rush to get something done. I wish they had silicone dots on the palm side like non-slip house sox.

I know! I'm trying to imagine how it would be easy to cut yourself opening an avocado - unless you're trying to whack a knife into the pit while holding it in your hand? I never need perfect halves, so after halving, I just make slices & remove them from the pit, rather than the other way round, and then remove the skin.

On the cooking shows etc, with good knife skills, they wack a big knife into the pit after slicing all the way around, spin the two halves, it separates into two halves and the pit remains in one of the halves. Then wack into the hard pit with a chef knife and it pops right out. I do it that way without issue.

I suppose we should ask the injured to help us understand what went wrong.

I know many have sliced their fingers on a mandolin, just looking at the thing. I don't always wear the glove but it drives DH nuts when I don't since I am left handed and all I do with a blade looks nuts to righties.

Not something you can deliberately create. It's caused by failed, or no pollination but the avocado forms/develops in spite of that missing requirement. Usually are quite pricey.

Does not look appetizing. Sleevendog, I didn't even know it was a thing. It must be all the chefy people ruining their knives by whacking the pits with the heels. The California way to remove pits is to push it out with the back of one's thumb, or use a spoon if it's underripe and stuck. No wounds from avocados!

That's the FL way, too, plllog. I don't understand how anyone can get wounds from an avocado.

Writersblock, I think we're onto something! (Though I see where my message posted after several others --I wonder what ether it was stuck in!)

I once was helping prepare a party at which bagels were being served. One of us setting up was married to a Jew, but grew up in a part of the country where delis were considered exotic. Those of us who grew up with bagels had a good laugh over her inability to cut one without a board (which I, frankly, would consider more dangerous because it's too easy to slip). We had her arrange the baskets or something.

Similarly, maybe if you're from California or Florida, you grow up eating avocados daily and know how to deal with them. I know about five totally different ways to slice an avocado, none of which are likely to cause wounds. We ship so many tons of them around the country, I'd think people would learn what to do. :) It's not shucking oysters!

BTW, a few weeks ago at TJ's, I saw those tiny avocados you Florida people call "California". They were from Mexico, in a bag, rather than loose, and called "teeny tiny avocados." They were the only ripe ones, so I bought them. They were perhaps a little sweeter than usual, but good avocados if weirdly small. :)

Hmmm, that's interesting.

I've never hurt myself cutting avocado, but I halve them like sleevendog, just a cut around the fruit the long way, all the way to the pit. Turn each half in opposite directions, whack the pit with the knife to remove it and twist it out, then use a spoon to remove the complete half from the skin. I'd think injuries would be more likely to happen trying to remove the pit from the knife blade after it's "whacked".

I have some textural issues, so I'd try those avocados, but I'm not optimistic that I'd like the peel. I don't like the peel on tomatoes or peaches and they seem far less egregious than avocado peel...

Annie

Sleevendog, I have one of those gloves and use it when grating on my Microplate box grater. I had to grate a finger only once before I started using that glove. I seldom use my mandolin, but if the gloves work for that also, I'll have to give it a try.

I've never cut myself removing a pit from an avocado, but I have cut myself more frequently with knives, now that I have extremely sharp Japanese knives. I also have a Victorinox serrated paring knife, and I cut myself on that by just barely touching the blade. I've never cut myself with a dull knife, however.

Ok, I will confess. I am one of the knuckleheads who gave herself a hand injury due to an avocado.

I USED TO use the method of stabbing the pit to get it out. I did that and didn't realize that the pit had started sprouting creating an existing crack that I couldn't see. So the knife went right through the pit and right through my hand! Luckily it hit just the webbing between my pointer and middle fingers so no serious damage. I did need stitches and still have a scar.

My husband still makes fun of me for it - 23 years later. But I did learn my lesson.

I still don't want those weird pit-less avos!

OMG!! Sarah, you're not a knucklehead! The knife going right through the pit like that is not normal. The knuckleheaded thing would be wrapping your fingers around the avocado half to steady it while slashing down with a fast moving knife, or not having good enough aim to hit the pit and go right through the flesh into your hand (which I think is what happens most of the time). Yours was a flat out accident, and you can tell your long-memoried husband I said so!

Mango hand I think is way more common. I hate that evil fruit.

I've never gotten the hang of wacking the pit with a knife and I think that in doing that, if you miss, you could very easily cut yourself. I tried it a couple of times and after realizing the possible pitfalls (pun intended), gave up. It's not that hard to just pull the pit out manually.

I would definitely try the pit-less ones at least once! Why not?

Regarding seedless watermelons, they have gotten increasingly good over the years and IMO are just as sweet as the seeded kind nowadays. Things progress.