The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook by The Editors at America's Test Kitchen Read Free Book Online Page B

green underneath it, the avocado is ripe. If it does not come off or if you see brown underneath after prying it off, the avocado is not ripe. If you like, garnish the guacamole with diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro just before serving.
3
avocados
¹⁄ 4
cup minced fresh cilantro
2
tablespoons finely chopped onion
1
small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1
garlic clove, minced
¹⁄ 2
teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
Salt
2
tablespoons lime juice
    1. Halve 1 avocado, remove pit, and scoop flesh into medium bowl. Mash flesh lightly with cilantro, onion, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, if using, and ¹⁄ 4 teaspoon salt with fork until just combined.
    2. Halve, pit, and cube remaining 2 avocados. Add cubes to bowl with mashed avocado mixture.
    3. Sprinkle lime juice over cubed avocado and mix lightly with fork until combined but still chunky. Season with salt to taste and serve. (Guacamole can be covered with plastic wrap, pressed directly onto surface, and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Return to room temperature, removing plastic wrap at the last moment, before serving.)

TEST KITCHEN TIP NO. 5 AVOCADOS—FROM ROCK-HARD TO RIPE
    Avocados have a notoriously small window for ripeness. You’ll almost never find perfectly ripe avocados from the supermarket on the day you want to use them, so it pays to think—and shop—ahead. We’ve tested various ways to ripen avocados, but in the end, we’ve found that the only thing that matters is the temperature at which the avocados are stored. In our tests, rock-hard avocados at room temperature ripened within two days, but many of them ended up ripening unevenly, developing soft spots and air pockets on one side just as the other side was ripening. After completely ripening, they lasted two days on average if kept at room temperature (stored in the fridge after ripening, they lasted five days). Avocados ripened in the refrigerator, whether in a bag or out in the open, took around four days to soften, but did so evenly. Stored in the fridge, they lasted a full five days before starting to show signs of overripening. The bottom line: If you need your avocados to ripen sooner rather than later, keep them on the counter. Otherwise, for better quality, you’re better off putting them in the fridge and allowing them to ripen slowly. In either case, store the ripened fruit in the fridge to extend shelf life.

CHEESY NACHOS
    WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
    With the help of prepackaged shredded cheese, jarred salsa, and the microwave, nachos have turned into bland, subpar snack food. We set a few standards for our revamped recipe. First, the chips should be crisp and hot, not lukewarm, soggy, or charred. Ten minutes in a 400-degree oven produced warm, toasted chips and perfectly melted cheese (cooler ovens dried out the chips; hotter ovens and the broiler burnt them). Second, there should be no shortage of cheese; a chip without cheese is not a nacho. We settled on using a full pound of cheddar. To ensure that all of the chips got good coverage, we found it was best to layer the chips and cheese; tossing them together broke the chips and sent much of the cheese to the bottom of the dish. Layering the jalapeños along with the cheese ensured good heat in every bite. Third, minimalism has no place in a great plate of nachos. In addition to abundant cheese, we topped our recipe with ample amounts of salsa and guacamole. Using fresh, homemade versions of these garnishes made all the difference.

CHEESY NACHOS WITH GUACAMOLE AND SALSA
    SERVES 4 TO 6

    Do not substitute store-bought guacamole or salsa; using homemade guacamole and salsa is key to making this recipe above average.
8
ounces tortilla chips
1
pound cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups)
2
large jalapeño chiles, stemmed and sliced thin crosswise
2
scallions, sliced thin
1¹⁄ 2
cups CHUNKY GUACAMOLE
1
recipe ONE-MINUTE SALSA
¹⁄ 2
cup sour cream
Lime wedges
    1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread