Different kinds of Mexican food has gained popularity like burritos, enchiladas, and tacos. Others even themed the day like Taco Tuesday. Of course, you are not limited to eating tacos on Tuesdays, but it is how popular it has become.
Mexican cuisines are also popular because of the dips they use to flavor the food. You can choose from queso or cheese, salsa, and guacamole.
Let us talk about guacamole because this is what majority of taco eaters also love to have.
Guacamole can be prepared in different ways, but it is quite challenging to keep the consistency of guacamole leftovers after storing for a few days.
How can you keep guacamole fresh and prevent it from discoloring? Can you keep it frozen? Definitely, guacamole can be frozen, and it will remain fresh for about three months. Discoloration can also be prevented. It is best to store guacamole in the freezer than by simply refrigerating it.
Here is a walk-through on how to keep guacamole fresh while frozen. We also added some information to help you truly understand what guacamole really is.
Guide to Freezing Guacamole
Most people think about how to properly store guacamole so that it will remain fresh and best to consume even after a few weeks or months.
Guacamole can turn brownish in less than an hour after it has been prepared, and it can also become a bit watery so storing it and keeping it fresh is a problem to some.
So, let us learn more about guacamole.
Guacamole Explained
Guacamole is actually a Spanish word. Guacamole is mashed ripe avocadoes and even those who does not like to eat fresh avocado as it is, fall in love with guacamole. It is also considered as a common dish of a Mexican recipe. It can be eaten as fresh guacamole or used it as salad topping, sandwich spread, dip, and others.
When preparing guacamole at home, you can choose from your favorite ingredients to suit your taste because it is also a flexible dish. Others like to make it spicy while others like to add some onions and tomatoes.
Great options on how to use guacamole with other dishes.
- Sandwich filling
- Spread on toasts
- Soup enhancer
- Salad dressing
- Dip
- Burger patty toppings
- Stuff mushrooms or pepper
- Sauce for fish
- Chicken quesadilla and other chicken recipes
Although guacamole is commonly used as dips or toppings in different Mexican dishes, there are more ways to enjoy. We just listed a few suggestions that you might want to try. You can also be inventive with the dish that you want with guacamole.
How Guacamole is Made
If you want to learn how to prepare guacamole at home, you can find different recipes if you search online. There are more than a hundred ways to prepare guacamole and they differ depending on the place of origin and because others tweaked the original recipe to cater to what the person likes.
You can always be creative with your guacamole and add ingredients that you want in order to enhance its taste, appearance, and texture. You can also remove some ingredients from the original recipe if you do not like how it tastes.
Here are the simple steps to make your home-made guacamole following the original recipe.
- Prepare all the ingredients you need, ripe avocadoes, cilantro, onion, jalapeno, ground cumin, garlic, sea salt, lime juice, and tomatoes.
- Mash ripe avocadoes in a bowl with a fork or any mashing tool to your desired consistency or texture.
- Dice cilantro, onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos to your desired size.
- Mix mashed avocadoes with the diced ingredients.
- Mix together salt, cumin, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro.
You can always add more or reduce some ingredients in the recipe to suit your taste. Also remember that fresh ripe avocadoes make the tastiest guacamole.
Now, what will you do if you have some guacamole leftovers. Below is the guide to storing guacamole.
Guide to Storing Guacamole
The usual problem encountered when storing guacamole is the separation of the mixture, but it can be solved by stirring it well when you want it.
Another concern is that guacamole can quickly turn brownish which makes it unappealing or look spoiled.
Here are the simple ways on how you can prevent those problems and store guacamole for months.
What Makes Guacamole Turn Brown?
Avocadoes can quickly turn brownish when left in an open air even for a few minutes, and so is guacamole because its main ingredient is avocado.
Who do avocadoes turn brown? Avocadoes turn brown because of chemical reaction. Once avocadoes are exposed to air, the flesh reacts to the oxygen and develop brown pigments. The discoloration however does not mean that it is spoiled or rotten. It is still good for consumption.
You can remove the brownish portion of the guacamole which is usually just the outermost layer. The, stir the mixture thoroughly and it is good to be served.
Here are some recommendations on how to prevent guacamole from discoloration.
- You can coat the guacamole by basting the entire outermost layer with lime juice or lemon extract. It should serve as a protective coating so do not mix it. Discard the portion with lemon or lime before serving.
- Before refrigerating or freezing guacamole, package it in an airtight food container or have it vacuum sealed. You can double the layer of covering by wrapping the opening of container tightly with a food wrap before putting on the lid.
- You can add water on the surface of the guacamole before covering and storing it. You should not mix the water. It will also serve as protective coating. Discard the water when you need to serve it.
Those who have tried basting with lime or lemon juice, and pooling water recommended that these are the best options to prevent guacamole from discoloration or browning.
Storing Guacamole in the Refrigerator
If you intend to keep guacamole for about 2 to 3 days, then refrigerating it is a good option. If you want to store it for weeks to a month, then freezing it is the best.
Here are the recommended steps for storing guacamole in the fridge.
- Keep in mind that you need to prevent it from air exposure and to follow the methods to prevent discoloration or browning.
- Place guacamole in a tightly sealable food container. Stir it well and flatten it to form a layer.
- Pool water over the guacamole as high as half an inch. Never stir.
- Seal the container with plastic food wrap.
- Cover using the container lid and be sure to seal it tightly.
- Refrigerate for not more than three days.
- When needed for serving, remove the lid of the container and the plastic wrap carefully and discard the water.
- Mix well before serving.
Storing Guacamole in the Freezer
Keep in mind that whether preparing the guacamole to be refrigerated or to be frozen, it helps to follow the techniques in preventing discoloration or browning.
Here are the recommended steps for storing guacamole in the freezer.
Though you need not worry much about browning when guacamole is stored in your freezer, it is always good to do preventive measures.
You can put guacamole in a tightly sealable container that is freezer safe or in a resealable freezer bag. However, it is recommended to use freezer bags so you can flatten it and remove excess air from the bag.
- Place guacamole in the freezer bag and flatten it well.
- Baste the top layer of the guacamole with lime or lemon extract.
- Squeeze out the excess air from the bag and be sure seal it tightly.
- Label it with the date of storage.
- Keep it frozen for at least four months.
Using Guacamole After Freezing
Preparing frozen guacamole is simple. You can thaw it overnight while in the fridge, or if you want to defrost it quickly, you can just heat it in the microwave.
When defrosting frozen guacamole in a microwave, you should not overheat it and leave some icy particles. It will not turn out well if you totally reheat it.
It best if you can thaw it overnight while in the fridge rather than to defrost it quickly. Slowly thawing it in the fridge preserve its natural properties than heating it.
Once guacamole is defrosted or thawed, be sure to remove the excess moisture before putting it in a bowl. Mix guacamole thoroughly before serving.
Remember that after thawing or defrosting and being exposed to air, it may start to turn brownish. You can follow the discoloration method to prevent it. Also, it is not good to refrigerate or re-freeze thawed or defrosted guacamole.
Related Questions
After reading the article, we hope that it has been informative and useful as well as some of the questions and answers presented here.
Will Adding the Pit to the Guacamole Keep It from Turning Brown?
Although it has been said that adding the avocado pit to guacamole help prevents discoloration or browning, it is not really true. The flesh covered with the pit will not discolor because the pit covers that portion, but it will not prevent the discoloration of the other portions of the guacamole.
Is Guacamole Healthy for You?
Avocado is a healthy fruit so guacamole is also healthy, and it can even be healthier or unhealthy depending on the other ingredients that you add to the dish.
Guacamole has all the nutritional value of the avocadoes, and avocadoes are known to reduce the risks of heart diseases. It is also good for the digestive system and prevents hemorrhoids.
