10 mistakes you really can’t make when making guacamole

Is a drinks evening with friends complete without homemade guacamole? I don’t think so. It’s the dip everyone loves. The crowd-pleaser. The dip whose bowl is always scraped clean. At least, if you make it properly. Because it’s not quite as easy as it seems. You can easily make mistakes that keep your guacamole from perfection — maybe without even realizing it. Good news: from today on, that’s a thing of the past. You’ll never make these 10 guacamole mistakes again, and that means you’ll soon be the undisputed guacamole king or queen.

1. Using unripe avocados

Avocados: I have a love-hate relationship with them. Yes, they’re fantastically delicious. But I also don’t know of any other fruit that’s so difficult to gauge. They sit unripe in your fruit bowl for 5 days and then suddenly — bam — they’re brown. When did that happen? When you’re making guacamole, it’s essential to work with ripe avocados. That’s how you get the very best guacamole. Tip: buy your avocados a few days before you plan to make guacamole. That way, you can keep an eye on the ripening process yourself.

2. Not adding lime juice and cilantro

Lime juice gives your guacamole a wonderfully fresh tang. It’s essential in the dip. Another reason to add the juice: it makes your guacamole turn brown less quickly. That’s simply what avocados like to do, as you know. And since nobody enjoys dipping their chip into a brownish-gray dip… Cilantro, on the other hand, is a more controversial ingredient. It may well be one of the most hated herbs — there’s even an I Hate Cilantro Day for a reason. Still, it really completes your guacamole. Already feeling sick at the thought? Then definitely leave it out. Otherwise, be sure to add it.

3. Not chopping the ingredients properly

The secret to perfect guacamole lies in the preparation. One thing is super important: chopping the ingredients properly. You simply don’t want to chew on enormous chunks of onion or have a mushy piece of tomato in your mouth. So make sure you cut your ingredients to the right size. Not too big, not too small.

4. Not using fresh ingredients

Guacamole is a raw dip. Nothing is cooked, fried or heated. Using fresh ingredients is highly recommended for any dish, but especially when making something raw like guacamole. Look for super-fresh tomatoes, onions, limes and cilantro. Preferably buy them on the day itself. You can buy avocados a few days earlier, provided they were unripe when you bought them. Then get the other ingredients once the avocados are ripe. Trust us, freshness is a must!

5. Making your guacamole too far in advance

Some dishes get better when you make them well in advance. A good stew, for example, or a tasty soup. But forget that idea when it comes to guacamole. You’ve already read it: fresh is key, so making it far ahead of time simply makes no sense. It gives the guacamole plenty of time to turn brown, and we don’t want that. So preferably head into the kitchen shortly before your drinks evening begins. The later you start, the better. Serve the guacamole immediately. It’s at its best at room temperature.

6. Not storing your guacamole properly

Granted: there’s a small chance you’ll have any guacamole left after your drinks evening. Because hello, you’re the king or queen of guacamole, and naturally your perfect dip will be completely devoured. But if that’s not the case — perhaps because you made too much — it’s important to store the dip properly. Tip: smooth the top and pour a thin layer of olive oil over it. This slows down the oxidation process (the process that makes your guacamole turn brown). If you want to eat your guacamole the next day, simply pour off the layer of olive oil.

7. Not tasting it before serving

Taste, taste, taste. No cook serves a dish without tasting it first. The same applies when you’re making guacamole. Otherwise, how will you know whether you’ve added the perfect amount of lime juice, salt or cilantro? So taste it before serving. And remember: you can always add more, but removing it is difficult. So it’s better to be cautious with your ingredients than too enthusiastic.

8. Using the wrong onions

A red onion tastes very different from a white onion. Red is sharper, white is sweeter. In the case of guacamole, it’s better to choose a white, sweet variety. Many people don’t expect that: red onion is often used. But that sharp flavor is far too intense and overpowering for guacamole. Unless, of course, you love the taste of raw red onion. In that case, by all means choose red.

9. Adding the ingredients in the wrong order

The order of the ingredients isn’t important in every recipe. But it often is. Guacamole is one example. You don’t add the cilantro first and the avocado at the very end. No, the correct order goes like this: first mash the avocado (a fork works perfectly), then add the lime juice and seasonings, and finally the chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro.

10. Mixing your guacamole for too long

Have you combined all the ingredients? Put down your spoon, raise your hands and take a step back. Don’t keep mixing. I repeat: don’t mix. Every time you poke around in the dip with a spoon, the oxidation process gets underway. And here it comes again: your guacamole turns brown. What’s more, you keep damaging the ingredients a little more. The tomatoes become mushier, the onions turn soft and the cilantro gets bruised more and more. You don’t want that! Resist the temptation and put the guacamole on the table right away. You’ll also make it to the party nice and early.

The tastiest guacamole recipes

So now the question remains: what is the very best guacamole recipe? A true classic? Well, we have one for you. Don’t be alarmed: this recipe contains no lime juice. You can always add some, of course. Would you like to try a fun variation on classic guacamole? Then make this delicious fried guacamole or plantain guacamole. I can tell you, they’re guaranteed to be a hit at your drinks evening.

Also read:

• How to: make the best guacamole
• Recipe: Californian guacamole
• Common mistakes with millennial fruit number one: avocado

Source: Tasting Table