So you make some guacamole in preparation for your Tex Mex-themed dinner party. It’s done, it’s ready and so you grab a tortilla chip and dip it into the green, gooey goodness that is guacamole and….meh.
What happened!? Guacamole isn’t at all hard to make, how could things have gone bad?
It’s not that things “went bad.” It’s more that you didn’t start with the right ingredients.
Take a look below for four reasons your guacamole wasn’t as good as it could have been.
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Were the avocados you used fully ripe?
Choose avocados that are firm but ripe. How can you know if an avocado has the right degree of ripeness? Press its stem end. If it gives a bit but isn’t mushy, it’s perfect. Too mushy? It’s too far gone. Too firm? Wait a day or two before using it.
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Did you use the type of avocados that are best for guacamole?
The best type of avocado to use is called a Hass avocado. These avocados are a very dark green (almost black), have bumpy skin and are small.
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Watch the ratio among ingredients.
The best guacamole includes avocado as well as lemon or lime juice, onion, tomato, cilantro, and hot pepper. A good recipe has you using three or four avocados, half an onion, one or two hot peppers, one or two tomatoes, one or two tablespoons of the lemon or lime juice, three or four tablespoons of cilantro (chopped), maybe one clove of garlic, and pepper and salt to taste.
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Speaking of onions….
Most people prefer to use sweet white onion in their guacamole recipe. Red or yellow onion tends to give the guacamole too strong of a garlic flavor.
A fifth reason your guacamole isn’t as “good as it could be” depends on who is making that assessment. Guacamole lovers tend to be passionate about whether the dip should be “chunky” or “mashed.” If your guacamole critic loves her dip chunky, and you prefer your avocado dip mashed? There’s the “problem.” After all, one can rarely make everyone happy!
Looking for some great guacamole to eat with your tortilla chips? Make sure you ask for some the next time you visit Mattito’s! Stop by the Mattito’s location nearest you to satisfy that hankering for guacamole you’ve been experiencing lately.
Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
