Rachael Ray's Rack Hack To Eliminate Avocado Prep Time

Who doesn't love a kitchen hack, especially when it comes courtesy of the one-and-only Rachael Ray? And a tip that involves arguably the greatest ingredient on the planet, aka avocado? Well, that's even better. In keeping with her down-to-earth cooking style, this hack is as simple as it is genius and was revealed in a YouTube video posted by the "Rachael Ray Show" in which she shared her top shortcuts for easier cooking. During the video, Ray demonstrates how to push cut avocado halves through a wire rack (the kind you use to rest cookies on once they've come out of the oven, for example) to create a loosely cubed, slightly crushed version of the fruit. Yep, your usual avo prep time just got a whole lot shorter.

All you need to follow Ray's lead is a wire rack, a bowl to capture the avocado, and the fruit itself. And she doesn't mince words when it comes to explaining how to get the job done: "You put one of your wire racks over the bowl, and just give the avocado a squish." This hack works well with both fresh avocado (provided the fruit is ripe, otherwise don't bother!) like that shown in the video, or grilled, and is particularly helpful if you're dealing with large quantities.

To the gourmand, elaborating on uses for avocado is akin to listing the numbers in Pi — there's far too many to count. However, one of the most popular ways of enjoying this fruit is obviously in guacamole, which Rachael Ray's hack works perfectly for considering the avocado is soft enough for mashing when it reaches the bowl. The gently crushed fruit will also work like a dream on that internet favorite, avocado toast, and for topping typical Mexican dishes like tacos, nachos and quesadillas (you could even take things a step further and combine the avocado with sour cream, lime, and garlic to create a crema). Basically, any time a recipe calls for mashed or smashed avocado, you want to bust out this hack. Try some in a colorful salmon avocado poke bowl, or easily incorporate the mash into a corn salsa for grilled shrimp tacos.

For some of the best ways to utilize this wire rack tip, you need only turn to the creator herself. Ray's show has featured so many delicious-sounding dishes calling for avocado over the years, created by both herself and guest chefs and ranging from Taco Pizza and Lobster Sliders right on through to Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken and Guacamole & BLT Dip. Regardless of how you choose to put this avocado hack into action, though, it's safe to say the television personality and cookbook author has done it again.