Garlic – talk about a real basic in the kitchen! Sautéing garlic in butter or olive oil is one of the most appetizing aromas worldwide. There are so many dishes that use garlic as a building block for flavor that the need for quickly minced, chopped, or sliced garlic has spurred its own specialty segment in the food/kitchen supply industry. There are many gadgets to help with garlic prep, and you can find pre-minced garlic at the grocery store in jars, fresh heads in the refrigerated section, and frozen minced garlic in the freezer section. We’ll share how to make all of these with just a cutting board and a knife – it’s fast, easy, and low-cost.
Shopping for Garlic
- Look for heads of garlic that have intact, firm skin all the way around, uniform color (avoid any that have dark powdery spots by the root), and no cracks in the skin.
Storing Garlic
- Store garlic in a dry, cool place. It will last quite a while in these conditions.
- Freshly minced garlic can be frozen for up to a month. Mince the garlic and mix with a neutral-flavored oil, like canola, and scoop in any desired amount (1-2 teaspoons) onto a baking sheet. Freeze until the garlic firms up, then transfer the scoops into a freezer bag or freezer-safe container (remember to label it with the date).
Preparing Garlic
- A general note on how to use garlic in your cooking – the more you break down garlic, the stronger the flavor will be. Therefore, garlic will not be as strong when you slice it as it will be when you mince it, grind into a paste, or crush with a garlic press.
- To break apart a head of garlic, wrap it in kitchen towel, and use your fist or heel of your hand to break it apart.
- Removing the skin can be daunting, but here are some great options to make it easy:
- If you are going to chop, mince, or grind a clove to a paste, this is a fast and easy method. Place the side of your knife blade flat against a clove. Using your fist or the heel of your hand, smash the garlic. You should be able to remove the peel easily from the clove. A bonus is that the smashed garlic is much easier to chop or mince.
- A garlic press can come in handy as well if you don’t want to use a knife or are hesitant about your knife skills. A reminder here, though, that using the press will result in a stronger garlic flavor (not always a bad thing!).
- We learned a neat tip from Cooks Illustrated: using the microwave to loosen the skin. Zap the clove for 10-20 seconds, let cool, and then remove the skin.
- A handy gadget we love for removing skin but keeping the cloves whole is a silicone cylinder, sometimes called a Garlic Peeler or Garlic Roller, depending on the brand. You just insert a clove, and roll it around inside. The skin pops right off. Very handy when you need to process lots of garlic.
- Sometimes the garlic cloves have a green sprout growing in the middle that can impart a more intense flavor. They can easily be removed by cutting the clove in half and lifting out the sprout. (From Kimberly: Usually I don’t mind leaving the sprout there as I mince garlic, but if using raw garlic (like in hummus) then I would remove it.)
- If you need large amounts of minced garlic you can use your food processor.
Cooking with Garlic
- Be careful not to burn garlic since it will have a very bitter taste. So when you are sautéing it, either at the beginning of a dish or as a finishing flavor, be sure to watch it carefully.
Recipe for Roasted Garlic
A great way to introduce a milder and sweeter flavor of garlic to dishes, or to use on its own as a spread, is to roast garlic.
- 1 Head of garlic
- About 1-2 tsp. olive oil depending on size of the head of garlic
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove most of the papery skin from the outside of the whole head of garlic. Slice the tops of the garlic cloves off – they will remain together at the root end. Place the head of garlic in a sheet of tin foil. Drizzle the oil over the exposed garlic cloves. Wrap the tin foil tightly around the head of garlic.
Bake for 30-40 minutes. (You can also put the tin foil-wrapped head of garlic on the grill if you are already grilling.)
Once the garlic has cooled (it should have a beautiful, golden color and soft texture) you can easily squeeze the cloves out of their skin.
If you don’t use the roasted garlic right away, or if you want to make a bunch at a time, you can easily freeze it. Spread it out on a baking sheet to freeze, then store the frozen cloves in a freezer bag (don’t forget to label it). You can also mince the roasted garlic cloves, measure out scoops, and freeze the same way as the whole cloves.
10 Delicious Ways to Use Roasted Garlic:
- Stir into mashed potatoes.
- Add to marinades or vinaigrettes.
- Serve with brie or other soft cheeses on crackers.
- Spread on grilled bread.
- Use as a sauce base for homemade pizza.
- Mix in with cooked rice, couscous, or pasta.
- Mix with seasonings and herbs to use as a marinating-rub over raw meats before cooking or grilling.
- Mix with softened butter and use on just about any savory dish you would slather with butter (try corn-on-the-cob).
- Add chopped/mashed roasted garlic to bread or biscuit dough before baking.
- Blend a few roasted cloves into soups (homemade or prepared).