So, How to Make Guacamole…
There’s a guacamole garlic, lime and oxidisation conundrum. In the past I always included garlic in my guacamole. But now I don’t – it can overpower the delicate taste of avocado.
I do use lime – it helps cut the cloying richness of the avocado. Yet, lime is another contentious ingredient. Diana Kennedy, author of many treatises on authentic Mexican cooking, says lime spoils the balance of flavours in a guacamole. However, I cannot find any recipes – other than Diana Kennedy’s – that do not include lime.
Chemically speaking, I have always been an advocate of using lime in guacamole. This is founded in the belief that the acidity of lime juice will neutralise the reactive process of guacamole oxidisation. With the same objective, my mother recommended placing an avocado stone on top of the guacamole to biologically stall the reaction. In fact, neither method appears to retard the eventual transformation of bright green avocado into an unappetising grey mush.
For this reason it is best to make guacamole just before your guests arrive. In our house, it never lasts long enough to change colour anyway!
Is a molcajete really necessary for making guacamole?
No, the molcajete is optional. Purists say it makes the guacamole taste better. That may be true, but we just like the fun of using a molcajete to make our guac.
Get a molcajete like dad’s here.