For the people commenting on not using a metal bowl. This is an old wives tale. Modern stainless steel bowls, like the ones I use, are completely fine, and have zero effect on the food.
Pay em no mind, fellow Chef. That old tale came from people using those cheap aluminum bowls that turned everything grey. Now if you'd be so kind I would love to see your take on an egg salad sandwich.
I find adding some salsa verde adds some acid and a good flavor and keeps it from turning brown. Love your recipes. Thanks for the comedy and great cooking!
I prefer red onion for its flavor, if you haven't tried it in guacamole, I recommend giving it a try sometime. Definitely going to try your chopping/crushing technique next time.
Hey there Chef John, I like to add a little garlic to my guacamole (coming from a Hispanic that lives 5 minutes from the Mexican border)...other than that, this video is perfection!
The first guac I ever made was pretty much even amounts of avocado and onion, blended in a food processor to a silky smooth texture. I then added a lot of garlic and lemon juice. Served on top of Blinis (tiny russian pancakes) with shrimp and thin slices of parma ham. It was amazing!
I love your humor! It's so hilarious even though sometimes it's not obvious your making a joke! Comedy here and there makes your cooking video perfectly balanced!
Dear Chef John, thank you for all your videos - I am a real fan! I can't believe I'm actually about to do this but I think I can give you a quick tip! 😨 I lived in Mexico for 3 years, in Morelia, Michoacán home of the famous (and absurdly tasty) Haas avocados. In Michoacán guacamole is almost like a condiment - they add it to most of the dishes so I can honestly say that I know how to make it. One of the fundamental steps is that avocado flesh should not ever be in contact with metal! Apparently it reduces its taste significantly and causes it to turn brown to to natural oxidation process. I learnt that one should always use a porcelain blade knife and a glass or porcelain bowl. To serve, best to use either a small wooden spoon or a crispy tortilla. And yes, they also add a bit of unseeded tomatoes cubes. In my opinion these simple steps do promote the taste. I hope you find this useful. Please keep up your fantastic work, you are a great mentor to many of us. Greetings from Vienna, Austria. If you ever make it to the city of music, it would be a pleasure to meet you personally and tell you where you can eat the best Wiener Schnitzel in town. Best wishes!
Chef John, I have a FOOD WISH: Could you PLEASE do a video on herbs?! Specifically: -when can we use the whole thing (stems and all) -what ones should we use JUST the leaves. -Are any too fibrous or not good to eat/cook the stems? Thank you sir!!
Topping with celantro is absolutely necessary. It allows those of us who can't eat cilantro know that we can't eat it. Alternatively you could garnish with a bar of Irish Spring.
I was obviously talking about when the guac has cilantro in it which is 99% of the time in restaurants and 100% of the time when we (the cilantro lovers) make it.
I think an avocado getting scooped out is one of my favorite things to watch and do with cooking. So satisfying when it comes out perfectly or as close to perfect as you can manage. :D
Thank you for highlighting the plight of cilantro sufferers. As one of the unfortunates, I can say that there are two things that can be done to lessen the negative impact -- thorough crushing and acid. If cilantro (leaves only) is chopped superfine and especially if it is ground down like in the procedure shown in this video, I usually can't taste it in the dish. Also, very acidic preparations (like twice as much lime juice) helps to cover it up.
Sure, throw in the maple syrup and sriracha while you're at it. Freestyle your guac all you want -- just don't make a video about it and call your concoction the "Classic Recipe." There's a LOT of bad guacamole in this world and the reason why is because of people who think that no matter what you put in there "it's going to be $." To be truly innovative in food, first you need to start with, understand, and respect the basics, the classics, the standards. Otherwise there is no context. The thing about great guacamole is, you start with this amazing ingredient -- the avocado. You can only screw it up from there. But a few things, like salt, like citrus, bring the prime ingredient into sharper focus. Garlic is a wonderful ingredient but it tends to take over the show. That's why it has no place in the classic recipe for genuine authentic guacamole.
As far as I know, garlic is generally put into the mixture as well, and additonally some pepper. Mexican friends insist that lemon > lime. Perhaps this debate has gone on for centuries in Mexico.
Here in California, *every* day is Guacamole Day. Oh, and I think Chef John mistakenly left out the footage showing him crushing 6 cloves of garlic and adding that in with the chili mixture.
As a Guac fan and someone who actually has made it exactly like this for years. I was incredibly happy to see you restrain yourself and not use any cayenne pepper in this, because that would have obviously ruined the flavor. ;)
The first time I ever had cilantro I actually had no idea. I told the waitress because I was so concerned, "I think someone accidentally poured soap in the black beans". She told me it was the cilantro and I didn't believe her at first. To me it tastes exactly like when shampoo gets in your mouth. Blech.
Thank you for shouting out the people who can't eat cilantro. I love guac, but if I bite into a cilantro leaf I might have to wash my mouth out with actual soap to get rid of the taste.
you can mash the avocado by scraping/grading the avocado out with a spoon bit by bit. It will be mashed. it's basically like scrapping from yogurt out of the yogurt container
In Mexico they add diced ripe mango, or peaches, or pomegranate instead of tomato to Special Occasion Guacamole. Delicious. Guacamole is made lots of different ways, but don't forget the salt and lime juice.
"...while I never had that theory verified by medical professional, it sounds right, and apparently in this day and age, that's really all that counts..." the fact that it's true really hurts
I hate how I can't stand cilantro. It always looks so delicious and is in so many tasty, tasty dishes. I retry it at least once a year to see if I've started liking it. No luck yet.
Hi Chef John, you need a molcajete! I almost cried to see you recipe of guacamole, that's how my mom makes it. Every time I go to visit my family in Mexico there's guacamole like that on the table. Thanks for sharing!
I'm of the mind where you brunnoise a single peeled, seeded Roma tomato and mash it in... and, if you're drunk or serving guacamole to smokers, a small, grated, raw garlic clove helps. In every other aspect, this recipe is the definitive version -- I find it hard to believe Chef John doesn't possess a Williams-Sonoma molcajete. Those things are always on sale over there. I even bought the giant one and I'm broke and use it only twice per year.
There is not really an authentic version every part of Mexico has a version, but now for some reason everyone loves Guacamole and now everyone in the world has a version.
An extraordinarily remote "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" reference is important in any good guac vid. Anyway, guacamole is 100% literally my favorite sauce/dip of all time, with baba ghanouj at a close second, so I'm pleased to have another solid recipe. Long time fan here; thanks again for another great vid, John.
I'm a bit odd but I like to add English cucumber, finely diced, to my guacamole; it takes the place of an added tomato but still gives a bit of crunch to offset the creamy unctuous goodness of the avocado. As always, thumbs up Chef John and thanks.
Loved his fact about genetics and taste of cilantro for 10% of population. The same goes for broccoli. I'll have to try the Serrano chiles instead of jalapeños.
Great... it is traditional... one tip... if you put the avocados pit in the guacamole it will help it not to oxidize "get brown" The lemon does the job also.
I discovered that if I add the lime juice to the onions, pepper, cilantro, and (garlic in my recipe) and let it sit while I prep my avacodos, the citrus cooks the onion and garlic a bit to take the edge off, and the end product doesn't turn brown nearly as fast as it did when I just dumped juice in by itself.
Love making guac. Serve it up at least once a week in the summer. The cutting technique may just take it over the top. Makes sense, once you watch the authentic Mexican restaurants doing it in the molcajete.
I'm so happy to know that my recipe of guacomole is super similar. Except of cayenne I add some some vietnamese chili pepper powder (homemade) instead :D
I do sea salt, garlic, black pepper, diced onions, diced jalapenos or (NM green chile when available), lime juice and mix it all together with the avocado. Then I put it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Then I garnish with diced tomatoes and cheese on top.
Good video, Chef. Thankfully, as a member of a first-generation Mexican American family, my mother has a collection of molcajetes that I can use to make guacamole (along with salsa and other things). No need for the ol' smear 'n' chop.
I hate to school a pro chef on how to prep an avocado, but there's actually a better way than using a spoon to scoop it out! Once you've halved the avocado and removed the pit, you place both halves face down on the cutting board and run the knife through them once more. By quartering the avocado, you can now use your thumb and finger to grab the skin and peel it off the green fleshy part. It's super fast and easy, and it doesn't require a spoon.
For tomatoes lovers as myself, what type of tomato would you recommend for your recipe and the serving amount? I usually toss in plum tomatoes last. Guacamole is my speciality so i am willing to to try your method!
Ha, I've made that mistake before with contacts. Needless to say even hours after handling the peppers and multiple times washing my hands my eyes still burned when I took mine out for sleep.
