Guacamole

Your cut-out-and-keep guide to the fundamentals of cooking

Making the perfect guacamole can be a cause for debate. Onion or no onion? What about garlic? And don’t mention the five-minute window of opportunity when it comes to a perfectly ripened avocado!

The best tip to start off with is that Hass avocados make the best guacamole. They are the bumpy ones that start out green and ripen to an aubergine colour.

It can be difficult to tell when an avocado is perfectly ripe, because they can ripen unevenly, but when they are over-ripe, the skin will be dented.

The problem with avocados is that they can ripen unevenly, so it’s easy to find one that feels ripe, but when you open it, you discover that some parts are overripe. If a hass avocado has a bright green skin, though, it’s not ripe at all.

Hass avocados are much creamier than the smooth-skinned Florida ones, which makes them respond much better to mashing, and they absorb other flavours better.

Mash, don’t blend. Blending results in a smoother texture but it’s too smooth. Simply use a fork to mash the avocado and then, after that, gently mix through the other ingredients, taking care not to mash too smoothly.

Then you enter debate territory. Say yes to a little onion and no to garlic. Apparently, that’s how the Mexicans do it.

Though a lot of people include garlic, the thinking would be that the creaminess of the avocado and the zestiness of the other ingredients will be ovewhelmed by it.

You can use fresh avocados, but we use Strong Roots Ripened Avocado Halves to avoid hassle. These are Hass avocados, pitted, peeled and perfectly ripened before freezing. Just defrost for two hours and you’re all ready to go.

Serve with tortilla chips, or as a topping on burgers or tacos.

As a flavour counterpoint, accompany with pico de gallo, a mix of chopped tomato, onion, fresh coriander, lime juice and chilli.