Customer Reviews

Guac Off!

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My Stepmom had this book on her coffee table and the colorful cover and quaint size (i.e... I knew it would be an easy read!) immediately caught my eye. Once I opened it and saw the hilarious chapter titles I knew I needed to read on.

It starts with a very humorous... yet factual (I think!)... background history on avocados... by no means is this a boring historical tale of the avocado! Then it dives right into some seriously amazing guac recipes with beautiful photos to go along with them.

I'm always looking for fun gift ideas and this one is now at the top of the list. If you are looking to share your love of guac with the world, this book is essential!

Everyone has their own guac recipe - myself included - and I was a bit skeptical that this book would be anything but gimmicky nonsense. On the contrary, I've discovered three new favorites almost immediately and debuted two of them at my Lakers viewing party - people think I'm a guac Goddess now! Amazingly informative and entertaining.

Guac Off! starts off with the kind of history I actually enjoy reading about: fascinating tidbits about the history of avocados, their use, and their advancement throughout the world and its cuisines. Next, Myers provides a guide to competitive guacamole-making, or "guac offs", with all sorts of practical, handy, and over-the-top hilarious advice! Soon you'll be rounding up your friends to experiment with home-made variations in the backyard.

Finally, he delves into the important part of the book: recipes! The first chapter handles a few classic guac recipes and variations, including my favorite from this book: the mango guac. At first I wondered why it specifically has you mash the mango in with the avocado instead of leaving it chopped, but I quickly understood the point after tasting the delightful blend of flavors! The chapter of exotic guacs includes influences from around the world, such as one inspired by Asian flavors, and a "French Guac" with blue cheese. So far my favorite from this chapter is the artichoke guac, which includes marinated artichokes, toasted pine nuts, and feta, and is surprisingly delightful!

A chapter of "extreme guacs" adds unusual ingredients to guacamole such as marinated chicken, crab, shrimp, bacon, and so on, turning it into an entree rather than a side or appetizer. There's even a breakfast guac with hardboiled eggs, mayo, and bacon. Finally, a chapter entitled "guacamole road: the journey continues" gives you some ideas of where to go next. It lists out a plethora of guacamole varieties that the author thinks would be fun to try (cherry guac? steak sauce guac?) to inspire your own experiments. Then it includes a few drinks to go with your guacamole tastings, such as margaritas, sangria, and tequila sunrise. Of course the book wouldn't be complete without a recipe for making your own tortilla chips, as well as chip alternatives, fresh salsa, and salsa verde.

Every recipe we tried from this book had a wonderfully-balanced blend of delicious flavors; it's just a matter of picking the ones that suit your tastes! I guarantee that after playing around with this cookbook, you'll no longer be afraid to come up with your own guacamole from scratch.

I have been a cook-book junkie, recipe hogger, foodie blogger, and general cusine hustler for YEARS and this is a book I am proud to have on my shelf. Great! Great! Great!!! Good work gentlemen.

The is a flip book of about 20 guac recipes. I thought the book should have had more to offer. There is a small section on the history of guacamole which i found interesting.

This is the Bible for avocado lovers.... wait, I mean the Koran for avocado lovers (to be PC). A number of recipes that I'd never heard of... I'm the one who invented to Cheetos guacamole over a moment of inspiration during the last Daytona 500. I just need to claim that one for the record.

What a great read...I like the style of the author. The photography is amazing and the recipes are wonderful.

Excellent recipes and a great idea born from many a guac parties on the west coast. Great pics inside as well. A must have for any avocado lover and a great way to entertain as well. Highly recommended!

I thought I was purchasing this book for a gift but when I received it I loved it to much to give it away. There is an excellent history of avocados and guacamole, wait til you hear what guacamole translates to, in the front and some really different takes on the traditional guac. So far the fruit salsa one is my fav. Many of the recipes call for meat which makes something that is usually an appetizer much more substantial. All of the ingredients are easily found in a regular grocery store so it makes "cooking" from the book really easy. I'll be ordering one for the original recipient for next years gift!!

I bought this right before our 3rd annual Guac-off at work. I won the first year with a recipe from Chef Bobby Flay, I called "Flaymin Guac." I lost the 2nd year and didn't want that to happen again so I bought this book and used the mango recipe. My "Don't judge a Guac by its color," won first prize. The recipe was perfection. This book is great, the recipes are great. Highly recommended if you want to beat the competition.