The Cheater's Guide to Great Guacamole - And Guac Myths Debunked

Time to make some guacamole, the perfect 4th of July dip! Okay, maybe more appropriate for Cinco de Mayo, but whatever. I have a few tips I'd like to share that will cut down on prep time and pump up the flavor.


INGREDIENTS:
- Avocado (let's base this recipe on 4 avocados)
- Chunky Salsa (to taste, not too much, 1/8 - 1/4 cupish?)
- Dollop of sour cream (if desired, but not too much...and, honestly, you don't really need it)
- Garlic Powder to taste (yes powder, put that garlic press away!)
- Dried minced onion to taste (yes, dried, put your knife away!)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Red Pepper flakes (if you want it spicier)
- Lime juice (I just use my little squeezie lime juice from the fridge - a few squirts should do it - if you have a fresh lime, go for it)
- Fresh cilantro (if you have it), chopped
- Mix all together

TIPS:
- To remove the pit, whack it with the blade of your knife. It will stick and you can pull it right out. You can use a towel to pull the pit off your knife to reduce risk of cutting your hand off, but I like to live dangerously.

- Use a pastry blender to mix it up. It's perfect for mashing up the avocado, but keeps you from overmixing. You don't want to overmix - chunkier is better. Pasty, not so good.

- Salsa is my "secret" ingredient - you get hunks of tomato, onion and pepper, but you don't have to do any chopping. And it adds nice flavor.

- About the cilantro - I almost never have fresh cilantro on hand. The guac is delicious without it, I promise. But if you DO have it, it adds a nice fresh flavor.

- Make sure you salt it enough. This is important. Add a little bit at a time so you don't oversalt.

- You can tell when an avocado is ready because it's soft to the touch (not too soft!), dark in color, and when you pop the little stem thingy off the end, it will be green in the hole.

MYTHS DEBUNKED:
- Lemon and lime juice do NOT keep your guacamole from going brown. I use lime juice just because it tastes good.

- Putting the pit in the guacamole will NOT keep it from going brown. The reason avocados go brown is from contact with oxygen. The best way to keep it green is to put plastic wrap directly on the guac when you store it. It's still going to go a little brown on you. There's just no getting around that. The brown is a-okay to eat, but you can always skim it off the top if you don't like how it looks.

I'm telling you, my guacamole is GOOD. It's EASY. You can make it with whatever you have in the cupboard and fridge. I always have lime juice & salsa in the fridge and spices in the cupboard. All I need is the avocados and I'm set!