Using Garlic
Types of Garlic
Supermarket garlic
Supermarkets usually sell garlic that is classified as “softneck or hardneck” which pertains to the soft and pliable stalk. There are a wide variety of garlic available to the consumer. Explore the garlic varieties here.
Elephant garlic
Elephant garlic isn’t really a garlic, but a member of the leek family. Mild-flavored with a hint of onion, it’s best roasted and makes great soup. The heads and cloves are significantly larger than the everyday garlic. Elephant garlic has a very mild flavor that may get lost in most dishes,
Black Garlic
Black garlic is an aged garlic is the result of a Maillard reaction: Whole heads of garlic are slowly caramelized until the cloves turn black. Black garlic is sweet like soft caramel and complex in flavor. Sliced and roughly chopped cloves can be used them to garnish your favorite dishes. Black garlic has twice the anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, immunity boosting, and anti-inflammatory ingredients when compared to fresh garlic.
Shopping for garlic
Look for garlic with a very firm head. Avoid bulbs that are dried out or have soft spots or dark mold. Don’t buy garlic that has a strong garlic order, this indicates that it has been damaged in shipping or handling. Green shoots indicate that the garlic has been around a little too long, leave it in the bin. Garlic varies in size, and depending on the variety, a smaller bulb of garlic may have more flavor than a larger one.
Storing garlic
Store garlic at room temperature or in a cool, dry place. Use a ventilated ceramic container or basket is perfect. Never store garlic in a plastic bag and keep it out of the fridge.
Bulk peeled garlic cloves are fine. Make sure they're fresh, look at the use by date. The cloves should be plump and creamy white in color.
Prepared Garlic
Minced and garlic paste have flavors and tastes that are off putting and not natural. Avoid using these products.
Garlic powder does not come close to fresh garlic. It is acceptable to use garlic powder where garlic is not a dominate flavor. Garlic powder has a sweet flavor. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder for each clove of fresh garlic.
Peeling garlic
1. First separate the cloves from the garlic head
2. Place the cloves in a 2-4 cup wide‑mouth Mason jar and screw on the lid
3. Shake the jar for 30 seconds.
4. Pour out the cloves and remove the paper like skins.
Or a 15 second microwave blast on high allows the skins to peel right off the cloves
Cooking with garlic
Preparing garlic, slice, grate, mince, chop, or crush?
The more you prep the garlic the more intense it is. For uncooked recipes, like Caesar salad, thoroughly crush or grate the garlic so the flavor is evenly spread in the dish. For stir frying or sautéing dishes, like pasta and vegetable dishes, thinly slice garlic to get the most flavor. Roughly chop or use thick sliced garlic in braises, stews or soups. As garlic slowly cooks, its flavor and pungency gets mellower with time.
Taming the garlic
Poach for a milder garlic, boil the whole peeled cloves in water for 5 minutes. This deactivates the offending garlic chemicals.
Roasting Garlic produces a mellow and sweet flavor. Harshness is at a minimum. Blend roasted garlic with butter and then use it to flavor sautéed veggies, spread on sourdough bread, add it to mayonnaise, soups or braises, and grilled meats/sea food,
Oil poaching garlic is very similar to roasted garlic and can be used the same way. The poaching oil is also wonderful to sauté veggies, grill meat, and add to pasta and salads.
Braising whole heads? Don’t feel like peeling garlic for soups or braises, no problem. Use whole heads of garlic, removed most of the paper skin and cook it with the soup or braise. Just before the dish is done, pull out the garlic head, cool, and then squeeze out the poached cloves into the dish and mix into the cooking liquid.
Stir frying and sautéing garlic over medium to high heat is a common cooking technique. Be very careful not to “brown” the garlic which makes it very bitter. It can go from golden to brown quickly. Garlic fried until it is golden is still sweet, nutty, and crisp. Fried garlic is used as a condiment in various ethnic dishes. A classic way to sauté garlic is to start out in a cold pan with olive oil over medium heat and then add the remaining ingredients when you can smell the garlic aroma.
Early preparation
Garlic flavor comes from a compound called allicin, which is not formed until after the garlic’s cells are cut or ruptured. Cloves that are prepped early will develop stronger garlic flavors and smell.
Botulism
Putting fresh or undried garlic in oil creates the perfect environment for botulism to develop. Botulism is very dangerous. If you do make a fresh garlic and oil mixture yourself, always keep it refrigerated and use it within a few days and then toss it.