What’s better than homemade guacamole for your party/fiesta, or game day? Nothing! A chunky mixture of mashed avocados, tomatoes, onion, pepper, and cilantro. Seasoned with freshly squeezed lime juice and a sprinkle of salt. It’s perfect as a dip with tortilla chips or added to some nachos, tacos, hot dogs, and even burgers.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Picking the right avocados: When picking avocados for your guacamole you want to make sure that they are ripe but not too ripe. And the easiest way to check for this is to simply press a finger into the outside of an avocado. If it’s stiff and has practically no give then it isn’t ripe yet. If it has a little give then it should be perfectly ripe. However, if it gives too easily then the avocado is too ripe and might give the guac an off taste. And if you’re still concerned about whether your avocados are ripe or not you can always taste a small amount before using it.
- Cutting an avocado: If you’ve never cut and deseeded an avocado before it’s pretty straightforward. You start by placing your knife vertically along the avocado. Then gently slice into it until you reach the seed. Follow this up by making a circle around the avocado until it is sliced in half. And once you have it opened you just wack the blade of your knife into the seed and gently pull it out. But if you’d like to see this in action then check out this video.
- Use a potato masher: Despite the name, a potato masher is a great kitchen tool for mashing just about anything. And avocados are no different. So while you can use a fork to mash your avocados, I highly recommend that you use a potato masher instead if you have one on hand. Trust me it will result in a more rustic and chunky consistency which makes the best guacamole.
- Taste the avocado: If you’ve ever had guacamole in Mexico then you know that they tend to use very little lime juice to flavor it. The reason for this is too much lime juice can be overpowering, and you want to taste the avocado, right? And I tend to follow the same philosophy which is I prefer to use just half of a lime in my guac. That being said if you prefer more lime juice you can always add more. The guac police aren’t going to come breaking down your door if you do. But try it out with a little lime first to see what it’s like. And then adjust if you want.
How to stop your guac from turning brown
A big problem many people face with homemade guacamole is keeping it from turning brown. You see, when avocados are cut open and the flesh is exposed to air it begins to oxidize. And this oxidation slowly turns the flesh from a vibrant green to a tan/brown color. Now, before we go on I just want to make it clear to everyone that there is no problem with eating brown avocados. It’s not dangerous, nor is it going to make you sick. It just looks a little unappetizing. And justifiably many people don’t like this appearance. So they try a whole host of different ways to stop this oxidizing from happening. Unfortunately, most of these methods either change the taste or consistency of the guac. Or worst of all they don’t do jack! So let’s discuss four of the most popular methods.
- Adding the pit: Let’s take care of this one right off the bat. Because for some reason this method keeps getting pushed by many people. But the reality is that leaving the pit of an avocado sitting in your guac does absolutely NOTHING. Not only does the science not back it up at all, but I can also tell you from personal experience that it doesn’t work. So please just stop doing this, it’s a total waste of time.
- Adding more lime juice: Now this method technically does work. Because the citric acid found in lime juice is a strong antioxidant, meaning it will slow down the oxidation of your avocados. But there are two problems with it. First, just because it slows it down doesn’t mean it completely stops the oxidation process. So eventually, you will end up with brown avocados. And secondly, it means you have to compromise the taste of your guac with even more lime juice. And what would you rather have, a good-tasting guac that’s a little brown, or vibrant green guac that’s way too sour?
- Covering it with plastic wrap: Ok I will say that covering your guac with a plastic warp is a pretty good method. But it’s not perfect. Because no matter how tight you press the wrap along the top of your guac there’s bound to be some air pockets. And all you need is a little bit of air you start the oxidation process. That being said it’s not the worst option out there.
- Covering it with water: Lastly, there’s the method of covering the guac with a layer of water. Which is probably the best method of the bunch when it comes to stopping oxidation. This is because water is guaranteed to get into every nook and cranny on the top. Meaning there will be no pockets of air. However, there is one downside in my experience. Because if you leave it for too long (like a day or two) it can make the guac a bit watery. And occasionally it might siphon off some of the salt in the guac making it less flavorful. But if you only plan on doing this for no longer than 6 to 8 hours it’s a pretty good method.
So as you can see none of these methods are without fault. But don’t be discouraged because there is one true way to make sure that your guac doesn’t oxidize too much, if at all. Are you ready for it?! Ok. You just make the guacamole right before you plan on eating it, and then you eat all of it in one sitting. Lol. I’m only half joking. But in all honesty, if you are trying to impress people for a party just make it when they get there. It only takes a few minutes. And then if you have some leftovers for the next day, and it ends up a bit oxidized, so what. Who do you really need to impress except yourself?
Other Great Mexican Condiments/Dips/Salsas
Guacamole Recipe
Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3 Cups
Ingredients
2 Ripe Hass avocados, split in half & seeds removed
½ Teaspoon of salt, or more to taste
Juice from half of a lime, or more to taste
¼ Cup of white onion, finely diced
1 Jalapeño or 2 Serrano peppers, deseeded & minced
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 Tablespoons of cilantro (leaves & stems), finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the base of the guacamole: Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of each avocado into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt and squeeze the juice from half of a lime over top. Then use a potato masher or a fork and mash all the ingredients until the avocados form a chunky consistency.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients: Add the onion, pepper, tomato, and cilantro in the same mixing bowl. Then use a spoon to gently fold all of these ingredients together until incorporated.
- Adjust for taste: Let the guacamole sit for a couple of minutes then taste it. Feel free to add more salt, lime juice, or other ingredients depending on your personal preference.
- Serve the guacamole with some tortilla chips and enjoy!
Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Ripe Hass avocados split in half & seeds removed
- ½ Teaspoon of salt or more to taste
- Juice from half of a lime or more to taste
- ¼ Cup of white onion finely diced
- 1 Jalapeño or 2 Serrano peppers deseeded & minced
- 1 Roma tomato diced
- 2 Tablespoons of cilantro leaves & stems, finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the base of the guacamole: Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of each avocado into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of salt and squeeze the juice from half of a lime over top. Then use a potato masher or a fork and mash all the ingredients until the avocados form a chunky consistency.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients: Add the onion, pepper, tomato, and cilantro in the same mixing bowl. Then use a spoon to gently fold all of these ingredients together until incorporated.
- Adjust for taste: Let the guacamole sit for a couple of minutes then taste it. Feel free to add more salt, lime juice, or other ingredients depending on your personal preference.
- Serve the guacamole with some tortilla chips and enjoy!
