It’s no secret that the West has some of the best avocados. Whether you have them growing in your yard or they fill the shelves at your local market, it’s important to learn how to cut an avocado safely before digging in. It’s all too easy to accidentally cut yourself while trying to open a ripe avocado or remove the pit. This technique will keep your fingers out of the way and protect you from accidental cuts.

1. Start by washing your avocado with water before placing it lengthwise on a cutting board. Hold the avocado from the side that’s facing up and slice around the pit horizontally. Be careful to keep all of your fingers away from the blade as you rotate the avocado around the knife. Once you’ve cut all the way around, twist the two halves to open. Next, slice your avocado into quarters, peel and all.

2. To remove the pit, simply grab the pit and gently twist the quarter of the avocado until it comes loose. Be careful not to grip the avocado slice too hard, especially if it’s really ripe, or your’ll end up with a mashed fruit. Next, grab the top edge of the peel and carefully pull it away from the avocado flesh. It should come off easily, although if it’s too ripe it can be difficult to hold on to the piece. In this case you can use a fork to gently scrape the avocado off of the skin.

3. After all of the peel has been removed, you can slice your avocado into any size piece. Try thin slices on your burger, small pieces for salads, or mash it up for a quick and easy guacamole.

Avocados not quite ripe? Try placing them in a brown paper bag in a warm place in your kitchen for a couple of days before cutting.

Now, Here’s Some Avocado Recipes: