How do I know if an avocado has those brown mushy areas before I buy it?!
Answers: sometimes you just can't tell, but you can learn to guess more accurately. as an avid avocado fan i've just learned which brands i can trust and which ones i can't, and that's about it..i've actually had the best of luck with the prebagged ones (4 to a bag). you're better off just squeezing the avocado and if its really soft, you'll get those spots no doubt, but you don't want it too hard either because they usually won't ripen correctly or in time. and when you do buy them and after you've cut a piece off put it back overtop of the pit, it keeps them fresher longer.
look at it
A ripe avocado should be almost black in color. The brown mushy spots are bruises from mis-handling.
You can tell by gently feeling the avocado for any softer spots before you buy it.
Gently squeeze it. It should be firm all over, no soft spots.
Lightly feel it all over before you buy it, and use it up as soon as its ripe if it is not completely ripe already (blackish coloured)
Best thing to do, mate, is to buy them a little on the green side and then keep them in a paper bag for a few days to ripen to just the edge of perfection. They should be dark, solid colour, but not mushy at all. They should have a feel about like you would expect from a shelled hard-boiled egg: firm, but with a little give.