The Plastic Bag Hack For Ultra-Creamy Guacamole

Guacamole may be a simple dip to make, but any dish that involves mashing can make a mess in the kitchen. Once you've properly mashed your avocados into creamy guac, you will likely have some smeared green dishes to clean. If you need to bring the guac to an event, scooping it out into another container results in even more cleanup. It turns out that a simple resealable plastic bag can solve both problems at once: You can make guacamole directly inside this vessel, and it doubles as a portable container to carry it off to the party.

There aren't too many steps involved for making guacamole in a plastic bag. Essentially, you take all your ingredients — be sure to peel the avocados and remove the pits first — and throw everything into a bag big enough to hold everything. After that, close the zip and mash everything inside the bag. You can do this directly with your hands, but be careful not to burst the bag while you get to work. The result is extra-creamy guacamole that's ready to transport and serve — just add tortilla chips.

Preparing your guacamole this way is going to make it extra smooth, so keep that in mind. Sometimes people prefer their dip a little chunky, and the tried-and-true method of mashing the avocados with a fork is an easier way to get those results. Crushing it inside of a bag using your hands is a quicker and more blunt way to completely mash the avocado chunks, and you'll still have some freedom with how much squishing your hands do. Plus, you can add some crunchy bacon bits or chopped onion to change the texture.

Creamy guacamole can be great for drizzling (rather than dipping), and goes great on top of fish tacos, cheese quesadillas, or chicken salads. The best part? If you take a pair of scissors and cut off a tiny piece of the bag's corner, you can now squeeze out the guacamole over whatever dish you've prepared, the same way a baker might pipe icing onto a cake. Now that the guac is ready, the plastic bag can go from a makeshift pot to a makeshift dispenser, and you can make fancy guacamole swirls this way, if you're going for presentation.

If you're in a pinch to make guacamole but your avocados aren't ripe yet, you can try wrapping them in foil and sticking them in the oven for several minutes. The fruit can also be wrapped in newspaper to help them ripen faster. This is because avocados, as well as other fruits like apples, bananas, and tomatoes, release ethylene gas as they mature. Trapping the ethylene by wrapping avocados in newspaper or a paper bag is an inexpensive hack that will speed up the ripening process by one or two days. 

Once your avocados are ready to use and your guacamole is primed in its plastic bag, keep in mind that it's a good idea to keep water out of it, especially if you're going to be storing the guacamole for a little while before dispensing it (it lasts up to four days in the fridge). Submerging avocados in water to preserve them is not a good idea, as it can lead to pathogens like listeria and salmonella growing on the avocados, as an FDA official explained to "Good Morning America." So keep that bag of guacamole sealed and watertight until you're ready to use it. Adding an acidic element like lemon or lime juice, or even olive oil, can help maximize the shelf life of your guacamole by staving off the oxidation process, which leads to browning.