as you expand your cooking horizons and get a bit more adventurous in the kitchen, you will want to invest in a few tools that help make things more efficient. as my husband says, "you need the right tool for the right job."

i love making home made potato chips, pickled cucumbers or crispy fried onions. but all three require very thin, precise cuts. and for most of my schooling (which included six years of my own trial and error, and my former prep cook husband's encouragement) i did not have the patience or skill to make the slices necessary. i probably still don't when it comes to potato chips. so one of the first tools i invested in was a mandolin. it comes with adjustable blades for different cuts (slices, julienne, french fry) as well as a handy dandy handle to protect your fingers. i actually have two sizes now. one for our kitchen and one for our catering bag. they are easy to use, easy to clean and can cut the time of a ten minute prep job to just minutes. and of course they have them on amazon. we love amazon. you can find the large on HERE and the smaller one HERE. 

mind all ten fingers when using the mandolin. i don't always use my handle now that i'm comfortable, but i highly recommend it until you are comfortable with your tool. 

you can adjust each of the three blade attachments for larger or thinner cuts. the handle is great for steady slicing. 

place these bad boys on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with an oil that has a high smoking temp and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400 f. lightly salt and serve. 

if i ever need a bunch of onions or shallots sliced for fried or caramelized shallots, i bust out the mandolin. nothing faster than the swipe of the hand. watch those fingers. this is not a test!

perfect slices. every time. 

xo, a

spring is just a couple of weeks away, and you know what that means? spring means parties. and parties, mean guacamole. guac is great, but avocados are pricey and can be temperamental. so here are some tips and tricks on picking, slicing and preserving your avocados so that your guac comes out perfectly every time. 

the first thing you need to know is how to pick a good one. good food starts with good ingredients. when looking for a ripe avocado, it is not so much about the look of the skin, but more about the feel of the avocado and the stem test. you want your avocado to feel firm, but to have a slight give when your press your thumb into it. you do not want it to feel soft or mushy. too hard is no bueno either. once you think you have picked a good one, find the top of the avocado where the fruit would have come off of the stem. remove the little nub. 

it should look like it is bright green in there. then you know it is ripe. 

when it is time to slice your avocado, find that little nub where the stem was. start there and slice your knife around the pit in the center of the avocado. once you have cut around the whole outside, take one side of the avocado in each hand and gently twist so that the sides separate. use your knife or a spoon to remove the pit. now, avocado flesh begins to oxidize (turn brown) when it is exposed air. so wait until the last minute to slice them. now that you have slice avocados, it's time to make some guac! 

in a small bowl, combine your tomato, shallots, half the salt and pepper, cilantro and garlic. stir well to combine and set aside. then set up your guacamole bowl. you will want a large bowl and you need your cooling rack. place your rack on top of the bowl. one half at a time, place your avocado flash side down on top of the rack. 

use your hand to press the flesh through the holes in the cooling rack. you get perfect cubes with little time, effort and mess.

after you have finished all your avocados, season with the rest of the salt and pepper. 

then add your tomato mixture into the guac. 

stir well to combine. 

stir well to combine and serve with your favorite chips. now, it is very rare, but sometimes, just sometimes you have a bit of extra guac. there are lots of suggestions on how to keep your already made guac from oxidizing and turning brown. manny suggest plastic wrap or more acid from the lime juice but while researching this post a came upon a method that seems to be a true winner. before you put your guacamole in the fridge to store, cover the guac with a very thin layer of water. the guac will not absorb the water and when you are ready to eat it again, dump the water off the top, stir and serve. 

xo, a

guacamole
serves: 4
prep time: 7 minutes
active time: 3 minutes
total time: 10 minutes
ingredients: 3 medium or 2 small ripe avocados. 2 tbs diced tomato. 2 tbs finely chopped shallots. 1 garlic clove, minced. juice of 1 lime. 1 tbs finely chopped cilantro. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. cooling rack (you can get one HERE). tortilla chips for serving.
in a small bowl, combine your tomato, shallots, half the salt and pepper, cilantro and garlic. stir well to combine and set aside. then set up your guacamole bowl. you will want a large bowl and you need your cooling rack. place your rack on top of the bowl. one half at a time, place your avocado flash side down on top of the rack. use your hand to press the flesh through the holes in the cooling rack. you get perfect cubes with little time, effort and mess. after you have finished all your avocados, season with the rest of the salt and pepper. then add your tomato mixture into the guac. stir well to combine and serve with your favorite chips. now, it is very rare, but sometimes, just sometimes you have a bit of extra guac. there are lots of suggestions on how to keep your already made guac from oxidizing and turning brown. manny suggest plastic wrap or more acid from the lime juice but while researching this post a came upon a method that seems to be a true winner. before you put your guacamole in the fridge to store, cover the guac with a very thin layer of water. the guac will not absorb the water and when you are ready to eat it again, dump the water off the top, stir and serve.