Mashing Avocados Is Unbelievably Easy Using A Cooling Rack

Nothing complements a get-together quite like a plate of tortilla chips and fresh guacamole. It's a simple, one-handed snack for your guests who are keeping the other busy clutching a margarita. However, one of the most annoying parts of whipping up a big batch is mashing the avocados, but you can cut down on the total time spent prepping your guac by doing so with a metal cooling rack. 

Begin by cutting the avocado in half and removing the pit. Then, take the avocado — skin side up — and push it through the grid. The meat of the avocado goes through the rack and comes out in small, easily mashable chunks, and the skin of the avo is cleanly separated in the process. You may have seen the same hack applied to a halved baked potato, and yes, there's little difference here, except the thicker hide of the avo is easier to keep out of the mix. Like any job done right, using the appropriate tools simplifies the project. Work smarter, not harder, as they say.

The cooling rack method for pre-mashing avocados works best when the avocado is fully ripe. It is recommended that you let avocados ripen to a soft texture over time, but there is a hack to achieving the desired consistency quickly if necessary. When you have particularly unripe avocados that are still firm, you can soften them rapidly by popping them in the microwave for 30-second intervals until they're pliable. After microwaving them, it's a good idea to immerse the avocados in an ice bath to stop the heating process. Now that they're soft, push them through the cooling rack, and before you know it, the most time-consuming part of making guacamole is over.

Using a cooling rack to make mashing easier works for more than just avocados. This hack is incredibly beneficial for produce that is difficult to peel, like squash, as a sort of makeshift dicer. Utilizing the same method of pushing the meat of the vegetable through the cooling rack, you receive easily manipulable pieces of your produce, and the peel will be stripped clean of all the meat inside. You can take advantage of this technique with just about anything you plan on turning into a puree or mash, speeding up the task of removing the outer layer. You'll be amazed at how much time and effort this easy hack can save you, leaving you with more time to enjoy a vibrant, creamy guacamole and a margarita with friends.