Food - Drink
Alton Brown's Tip For Ultra-Flavorful Guacamole
By SHAYE GLISSON
Before you follow Alton Brown’s tip for ultra-flavorful guacamole, make sure you have selected ripe avocados. After checking for color — darker-colored avocados are riper than those with lighter skin — and dents, gently squeeze the avocado in the palm of your hand; if it has a little give, then the avocado will have a creamy center, perfect for guacamole.
In a video posted by Food Network, Alton Brown says that guacamole should be chunky, so use a potato masher to achieve the desired texture. Then, the famous chef adds salt, cumin, and cayenne to the avocado chunks, potato-mashes the mixture, and stirs in chopped onion, Roma tomato, cilantro or parsley, seeded jalapeño, finely minced garlic, and lime juice.
Brown’s best tip is to avoid refrigeration, as the chef counsels that cold temperatures “turn down the volume on flavor.” Instead, simply place heavy-duty plastic wrap over the guac, not the bowl, to marry the flavors and prevent oxidation, which turns avocados brown, and allow it to sit at room temperature for one to two hours, then stir, taste — and enjoy!
