Saturday, May 23, 2009

Can You Freeze Guacamole?

There was some discussion on the Albuquerque City-Data forum recently as to whether one can successfully freeze guacamole.

avocado After repeated experiments, my opinion is no, you can’t freeze guacamole – but you can freeze mashed avocado pulp, then gussy it up into guacamole at serving time.

Is frozen pulp as good as fresh? No, of course not. Is it better than nothing? Yes!

avocadotree I used to do this all the time in Belize, where avocados ripen all at once in August & September. For two delirious months we’d be up to our elbows in buttery, ripe avocados … then we’d have to do without for the rest of the year. Wah!

So I would gather up all the ripe avocados I couldn’t eat then and there without exploding, and in a single marathon session I’d peel, pit and mash them with lashings of freshly squeezed lime juice, about a teaspoonful per avocado (count the pits). Here in the States, lemon juice works too.

DianaKennedy (Despite what Diana Kennedy, the maven of Mexican cooking, says about this, I like the flavor of lime juice in my guacamole.)

Without adding anything more to the pulp, not even salt, I’d measure it into vacuum seal freezer bags, one to two cups per bag, and freeze it.

I strongly recommend the “suck ‘n seal” packaging method for this project. But whatever freezer bag you use, you want to remove as much air as possible. Oxidation is avocado’s enemy, turning exposed pulp an unattractive brown. The citric acid in the lime or lemon juice also helps preserve the color.

Depending on your freezer temperature and the bags you use, avocado pulp will keep nicely anywhere from two to six months in the freezer.

When it’s time to make the guacamole, first thaw the sealed bag of pulp overnight in the fridge. If you’re in a hurry, you can submerge your freezer bag in a bowl of warm water; but I don’t recommend defrosting it in the microwave. (I tried that once, and it got ugly.)

Once thawed, you’ll notice your avocado pulp may be a bit watery. Just punch a little hole in the freezer bag and drain off any excess liquid.

Then de-bag the pulp and mix in whatever fresh fixings you like – chopped tomatoes and Serrano chiles, minced onion, cilantro, etc. Salt to taste, maybe add a pinch of sugar, and serve.

Voila! Guacamole on demand.

--MaggieBelize
Designer, kNotes for kNitters
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5 comments:

  1. Hey Maggie. Thanks for the guacamole tips! I never knew I could freeze mashed-up avocado and I am going to try it.

    P.S. I am one person who prefers lime juice over lemon in guacamole.

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  2. Enjoy! I'd love to hear how it turns out for you.

    But I should clarify: Kennedy believes that lime and/or lemon juice unacceptably alter the flavor of guacamole, and that you shouldn't add either one.

    If you eat all your guacamole in one sitting, that's fine, but to keep it any length of time, I think the juice is necessary.

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  3. Avocados, salt and lime is all you need! Why would you change the flavor any further!!

    Thanks Maggie. I think I should go to belize this month just for the Avocados.

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  4. Excellent! I just bought a bag o ten at the local store for $1.50! We have a 5 acre "farm" in south Georgia and also hate waste, to the point we refurbished and moved an old farmhouse years ago. And we tend to rescue animals...they just seem to show up. (they know my husband is a vet, somehow, ahd that I cannot turn one away:)

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  5. You got 10 avocados for $1.50?? I am *so* jealous.

    Do you think the stray critters have some sort of secret mark on the gatepost of friendly farms? Like the hobos used to do in the 30s? Somehow they seem to know ...

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