We’ve all had bad days from time to time. You might be having one today. So, I’m going to try to cheer you up by sharing the answer to one of life’s burning questions: What is the secret to good guacamole?
There are a few critical factors involved, the most important of which is to hand mash the avocados–don’t you dare touch that food processor or even think about pureeing it. More on this later.
1) You’re going to want to get a couple of perfect avocados (they should barely indent to the touch), split them open and remove the pit – you do this by whacking the sharp edge of the knife into the pit without stabbing it into your hand. It’ll stick into the pit nicely and – pop!- it’ll come right out, with no digging around and ruining the perfectly good fruit.
2) Next you’re going to slice the avocado while it’s still in the skin. Cut it lengthwise into strips and then crosswise into chunks, then pinch the skin together with your whole hand, and the avocado will fall right out into your awaiting bowl.
3) Now add your other ingredients, of which there aren’t many. I add garlic*, olive oil, lime juice, minced jalapeños, and salt and pepper to taste (this is where it gets tricky because there really aren’t appropriate measurements, it’s all according to your palate). *If you’re planning on using garlic salt, you need to go ahead and close this window and go sit in the corner because you need punished for thinking that garlic salt is an acceptable substitute for garlic in home-made guacamole. Repeat after me: Garlic? YES. Garlic salt? No, no, no.
4) Before you go any further, STOP! Don’t dive into the bowl with a hand mixer, blender or other such device with the intent of mashing the mixture into a pulp- back away from any sort of electric mixing tool and instead, gently stir the mixture with a fork. That’s all you need to do. I promise.
Ta-da! Perfect guacamole. And if you want to treat yourself really nice, and you have a lemon, a lime, some tequila, a glass full of ice, and a melted teaspoon of honey, you’ve also got all the makings for a tasty beverage. Now, go have a better evening and enjoy that guac with an easy, home-made margarita.
