Avocado for a meal is not only scrumptious but very healthy as well. You can have it plain, wrapped into a burrito, combined in a salad, stuffed in Deviled eggs, or mashed in a guacamole.
There are various dishes to make with avocados and we will look at the simplest yet yummiest avocado guacamole.
Guacamole is said to have originated from Mexico. It is a popular avocado-based dip that goes well with nachos and can also be used as spread in breads or toasts.
Those who cannot live a week without guacamole in their dish probably wondered how they can store it and warm it for their next meal. If you are one with them, then this article will help you learn some useful tips.
Can you reheat guacamole in a microwave? Certainly. Warming or reheating your guacamole is good after storing it in the fridge. It will not only warm it but will also make it even softer though it might taste a little bland. If it has seasoning, then it will never taste bland.
How To Microwave Guacamole
Do not worry, reheating guacamole included in a dish is not difficult. Simply warming it in your microwave will do the trick.
Heating it however should be done in an ample time and never overheat it. Like other food, overheating it may change the texture and the taste. It is best to reheat it in short time intervals than continuously reheating it.
First, set it up in a microwaveable dish container for heating.
Next, place it inside the microwave and reheat for a minute in medium heat temperature.
After a minute, stir or mix the guacamole before reheating it again for another minute.
Warm Guacamole
Some like their guacamole warm while others like it cold or just as it is. There should be no fuss really because warm or cold, it will always taste best.
There are some dishes with guacamole that is best served neither hot nor cold like salad, dip, or guacamole salsa.
There are also dishes with guacamole that is best served when warm to accentuate the taste of the dish like toppings on bagels, Deviled eggs, creamy soup, smoked salmon, and baked potatoes. These dishes can be reheated in an oven, a stovetop, or in a microwave.
Enjoying Guacamole With A Microwave
The tastiest guacamole is made from ripe avocado but choosing the perfect avocado while buying at the market can be somewhat tricky. You may feel the avocado if it is soft or firm to check whether it is ripe or not.
For unripe avocados, others use the microwave to hasten avocados to ripen. Warming avocados in your microwave helps in the ripening process. It is a way for avocados to ripen sooner than by simply leaving it at room temperature to ripen. The sooner the avocados ripen, the sooner you will be able to make the guacamole you crave for.
How do you ripen avocados with the help of a microwave? Of course, you need your avocados, microwaveable plastic food wraps and the microwave ready. Here are simple steps you can follow.
- Cut avocados vertically in two and take off the pit.
- Tightly wrap each halves of the avocados in a microwaveable plastic food wrap.
- Place the avocados in your microwave with its skin touching the microwave plate.
- Set microwave in high heat and let avocados be heated for a minute.
- Check avocados after a minute if it has become soft, if not, you can heat it again for one more minute.
Using the microwave trick usually ripens the avocado and makes it softer in two minutes.
When avocados are tightly wrapped in a plastic and heated, avocados release an ethylene gas which ripens avocados faster.
Using the oven instead of a microwave also does the trick but microwave is by far the easiest.
Should Guacamole Be Microwaved?
Following the traditional guacamole recipe, it is often served a bit warm, so it is fine to microwave it for a minute before serving. Others prefer it neither warm nor cold but never cold as its taste becomes bland.
Heating the guacamole heightens its taste and that is why many people prefer it warm. Another reason is that guacamole like other food when stored for some time may have grown foodborne bacteria and heating it is best way to destroy them, thus making it good to be eaten.
So, what is the best way to store guacamole?
Just like any food, guacamole is best stored in a tightly sealed or airtight food container before putting it in your fridge. It can stay fresh for three days and you may add some fresh lemon extract to your guacamole to avoid discoloration. Avocados tend to become a bit brownish when stored in very cold temperature and lemon helps prevent it.
After reheating the guacamole and there are still leftovers, do not anymore refrigerate it because it is already at high risk of having foodborne bacteria. It is best to discard it right away.
It is important to consider how much you really need when preparing food if you do not want to store leftovers or worst, waste it.
Tips For Great Guacamole
Best guacamole is made from best avocados, so you need to pick the right avocados. Here are some tips for choosing avocados.
· Picking Your Avocado
When buying avocados, you can check whether it is already brownish, ripe, or not by tugging off the stem and peeking on the flesh. Pick the soft and greenish avocado for your guacamole and not the brownish one. You can pick the unripe avocados if you will not use it right away.
· Pick Out Two
Always buy an extra avocado for your recipe because some areas of a ripe avocado may have turned bad and you will not be able to use it. You cannot see this bad part when buying unless you cut it open and you cannot do it in the store. The extra avocado can fill in for the bad part.
· Ripening Avocado
If you will need ripe avocados only after some days, then you may wait for it to ripen naturally. Placing avocados with bananas is said to help in the ripening process. However, if you need it to ripen quickly, you can follow the microwave technique described earlier.
· Too Ripe
If your avocado is too ripe and too soft to be made into guacamole, refrigerating it is a good practice. Chilling it can make it a bit firm. It will also prevent the avocados from ripening sooner if you do not need it right away.
How To Store Homemade Guacamole
For some occasions, it is best to prepare the guacamole in advance and refrigerate till you have to serve it.
Remember that when you refrigerate guacamole, it can turn brownish due to oxidation. To prevent this, ensure that it is in an airtight container. Put some water on the lid before placing it in your fridge and this will prevent the oxidization of the avocados.
Related Questions
Guacamole may not be in your everyday dish, but it is important to know how to store and reheat it for your next serving. We hope our article has given you some tips and here are other points you might want to note.
Can you microwave avocado?
Heating guacamole can be done in a microwave and yes, you can microwave a cut or sliced avocado without its pit but never whole avocados. You may also follow the steps on how to ripen avocados in a microwave if necessary. Still, ripening avocado the natural way is the best.
Can you reheat a burrito with guacamole?
No fuss, you can reheat your guacamole burrito in one minute using a microwave. After reheating it for a minute, let it rest for another minute in the microwave, turn it over and reheat it again for one more minute to ensure it is heated evenly. It is the same when you want to warm your tacos with guacamole.
Can you heat sour cream in a microwave?
Others find guacamole with sour cream more appetizing and in some instances, you might need to reheat both. In this case, it is best to reheat the dish in short time intervals so it will not become very hot and it will also allow balanced heating of the dish. If you are reheating chilled sour cream, it is recommended to let it sit in room temperature for some time before reheating.
Microwaving Guacamole
Guacamole retains it moisture and taste even when heated in a microwave that is why it is best to reheat it in the microwave.
It is recommended to reheat it in short burst, then mix or stir it before reheating it again to be sure it is heated evenly.
Also keep in mind that guacamole leftover is best to be reheated only once so you can be sure it will be safe to be eaten.
It is important to note that reheating food more than once makes it a good breeding ground for unwanted microorganisms that can cause health problems.
