Life's too short for chopping & mixing

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I chop garlic and put it in a jar with some EVOO and keep that in the fridge. It keeps well. I often freeze onions. I haven't noticed a change in flavor.

Vidalia onions have arrived and I have stocked up on them. I slice about helf of them and the other half I dice. then I freeze them. You need your Food Saver for this. Otherwise they can get frost bite on them from all the natural water in them. No problem when I need some. I package them in two ounce packages. I weigh them as I go along. No problem in the taste and texture when I thaw them out.

I also do the same when Bell peppers are on sale. :chef:
 
We have minced garlic in a jar in the fridge. But, they don't cut off the little dry bit where the clove attaches to the bulb, so it isn't good for squashing into paste.

This is one of my favourite shortcuts. It's cheaper than organic lemons or limes, too. They taste like fresh lime and lemon juice - no nasty tasting sodium bisulfite.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3179.jpg
    IMG_3179.jpg
    35.3 KB · Views: 179
taxlady said:
You guys are scaring me with the chopped garlic in EVOO. Garlic can have botulism and the EVOO makes it an anaerobic environment. Be sure to keep them in the fridge for a week or less or freeze them.

+1

I was wondering if anyone else was thinking that...
 
Too bad on the lemongrass and galangal. I assumed you had access to that. Although I see lemongrass in supermarkets I see galangal only in Asian markets.

I really wish there was some way to keep Kaffir lime leaves longer. They keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I've tried freezing them and that doesn't work either. I've decided if I ever live anywhere where I can't get them I would plant my own Kaffir lime. Gotta have a mild climate for that though. Would work well here in So. Cal. In fact if I end up buying a house here I probably will plant one, and then I can just go out and pick them whenever I need them. I'd like to have a garden of plants that are both edible and decorative. Or in other words, why grow something you can't eat when there are so many plants that are both edible and decorative.



I've had decent results freezing my minced garlic mixed with EVOO. When I want it I move it to the refrigerator section, where it keeps 1-2 weeks.

Have you tried dehydrating them? This is what is done with curry leaves...since one can use dried bay leaves, I would assume one could use dried Kaffir lime leaves. I have a small Kaffir lime tree that I put outside in the summer and bring in in its pot in the winter.
@ greg...the galangal & lemongrass were another "harry storecupboard standby" in case i wanted to cook thai & didn't have fresh.fresh lemongrass is easy round here but the nearest s/market for fresh galangal is 4 or 5 miles away
@ greg/cws spot on cw.i think that the only kaffir lime leaves we can get in the uk are dried.i'm sure i read somewhere that there is a bug endemic to the kaffir lime tree & so importation of the fresh leaves is banned in the uk?the dried certainly have a punch but have never cooked with fresh so can't compare.we do have fresh curry leaves in the shops tho'....love 'em!!
 
I've done it for years, and I haven't died yet. I wonder about people who are too lazy to chop an onion or mince a clove of garlic. Come on people, how much work can that be?:D
sometimes just "a bridge too far" when you have been at work since 8am,get in at 7pm & want curry!!"
but now that i have more time on me hands i promise to try harder boss;)!!
 
We have minced garlic in a jar in the fridge. But, they don't cut off the little dry bit where the clove attaches to the bulb, so it isn't good for squashing into paste.

This is one of my favourite shortcuts. It's cheaper than organic lemons or limes, too. They taste like fresh lime and lemon juice - no nasty tasting sodium bisulfite.
ta dahhhh +1 tax
 

Attachments

  • LEMON & LIME 002.JPG
    LEMON & LIME 002.JPG
    94.9 KB · Views: 179
I've heard garlic loses a lot of flavor if you freeze it, which is why I've been reluctant to make my own frozen garlic cubes. What do you think? Does the flavor change much?
nope,i think that modern flash freezing methods are totally different as far as the end result is concerned,compared to domestic freezing skittle.
i cook a lot with garlic & ginger,both fresh & the frozen ones in the pic.i haven't been able to determine any difference in flavour.the other good thing is that unlike some frozen products that have to be used from frozen for textural reasons,these two products can be used frozen OR thawed,so can be used in yogurt & mayo based dips/dressings etc just like fresh.when you thaw them there is no additional liquid either,as the only ingredient is the garlic or ginger.
 
Last edited:
We have Indian markets and Indian restaurants too. The Indian market I go to, I mostly buy incense (Indians make better incense than anybody) and also buy spices and sometimes unique Indian vegetables not seen in any other markets.

You can cook Asian (my field is particularly Thai) and leave out or substitute some of the ingredients, but it's just amazing how easy it is to create curries and other dishes as good as restaurants, sometimes even better. (Some of our Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are pretty mediocre.) Using the real ingredients makes a significant difference!
i guess i'm spoilt in that respect greg.bolton,being an old textile town(birthplace of samuel crompton inventor of the spinning mule that kickstarted the industrial revolution over here)has a huge asian community & that's where i work.indian,pakistani,chinese,iranian,iraqi you name it,boltons got it!!as well as the shops we've already discussed all of the supermarkets locally carry an ethnic range so fresh lemongrass,galangal,turmeric & coconut milk etc are all available.having said that when i eat at my asian friends/clients houses they use the dried spices just like us,a lot of the frozen garlic/ginger but always fresh herbs like coriander,curry leaves etc.
because of my involvement with the community i always have incense sticks & cones which i am given as presents(lovely generous people they are too) but i also buy quite a bit from a local shop.billy & barbara describe themselves as "pagan druids" & they & their shop have become icons over the years
Aromatherapy|Fragrance Oils|Incense|Pagan Gifts & More - Clouds Online UK
my favourite incense is the mother's india which i support anyway i can.it's a co operative set up by women with children in india to allow women with children to work....totally organic & so eco friendly they make all of their deliveries/commute to work by bicycle!!the fragrances are mind blowing.my fav is ganesh
 
sometimes just "a bridge too far" when you have been at work since 8am,get in at 7pm & want curry!!"
but now that i have more time on me hands i promise to try harder boss;)!!
I guess I question the $ people spend on things that are frivolous. Buying pre-chopped garlic seems a bit frivolous to me. But then, I've been processing beans for hours...
 
I guess I question the $ people spend on things that are frivolous. Buying pre-chopped garlic seems a bit frivolous to me. But then, I've been processing beans for hours...
i know cw & it sticks in my throat to help tesco or whoever amass another billion in profits but,sometimes when the devil drives & all that........
the criteria i apply to all of my "quick fixes"(guilty pleasures are different but are rare treats only) are:
a)has it got in it what i would make it with?
b)is it artificial additive,preservative,flavouring & colouring free?
organic would be good too!
now that i am in a position to work fewer hours/less days the quick fixes appear less & less.............
 
I've done it for years, and I haven't died yet. I wonder about people who are too lazy to chop an onion or mince a clove of garlic. Come on people, how much work can that be?:D

I have done it in the past. I put about a teaspoon of vinegar in the garlic and olive oil. It helps prevent the botulism from developing by changing the ph balance.
 
Andy M. said:
I've frozen kaffir lime leaves with no issues.

I found shredded kaffir lime leaves in a jar. Other ingredients are water, salt, and citric acid. Got it in MPLS, don't recall the store, I think it was in one of the big supermarkets. I haven't tried it yet.
 
I found shredded kaffir lime leaves in a jar. Other ingredients are water, salt, and citric acid. Got it in MPLS, don't recall the store, I think it was in one of the big supermarkets. I haven't tried it yet.

I use citric acid or vinegar when I PRE-prepare garlic.
 
For me it also depends on if the dish hangs on the fresh taste of minced garlic or chopped onions. It is an addition or the star? Making a beef stew or mushroom soup, garlic is a flavoring, I used the quick minced garlic or even garlic powder. However, the Asian Green Beans I am cooking up tonight, the garlic is a main part of the dish, I'm buying fresh and mincing by hand.

I need to find "chili paste". I know it's red chili, just don't know more than that. I have to go by taste and appearance in trying to replicate this recipe. Going by the description on the menu.
 
I've done it for years, and I haven't died yet. I wonder about people who are too lazy to chop an onion or mince a clove of garlic. Come on people, how much work can that be?:D

What I don't like about the practice of prechopping garlic and storing it in olive oil is that you don't know the strength of what you are taking each time. Sometimes I only want a mild small clove and sometimes a big clove that has plenty of flavor. I do prefer to do them fresh as I need them. One smack with the back of the knife and the skin comes right off. Smack two and it is done. And I know what I am putting in my dish.
 
You guys are scaring me with the chopped garlic in EVOO. Garlic can have botulism and the EVOO makes it an anaerobic environment. Be sure to keep them in the fridge for a week or less or freeze them.

It works fine! I'm not dead, right? (?????) As often as I use garlic it doesn't last long enough to spoil, and by all means of course you refrigerate it. Or freeze it. I doubt a dish of garlic has ever lasted a week at my house.

i guess i'm spoilt in that respect greg.bolton,being an old textile town(birthplace of samuel crompton inventor of the spinning mule that kickstarted the industrial revolution over here)has a huge asian community & that's where i work.indian,pakistani,chinese,iranian,iraqi you name it,boltons got it!!as well as the shops we've already discussed all of the supermarkets locally carry an ethnic range so fresh lemongrass,galangal,turmeric & coconut milk etc are all available.having said that when i eat at my asian friends/clients houses they use the dried spices just like us,a lot of the frozen garlic/ginger but always fresh herbs like coriander,curry leaves etc.
because of my involvement with the community i always have incense sticks & cones which i am given as presents(lovely generous people they are too) but i also buy quite a bit from a local shop.

Short story of my life is that I sold my house and moved out of state to a small town in the Southwest, and I could just not stand not being able to get every imaginable ingredient I wanted, that day!!! I gave up and I'm back here in the big bad city, smog and traffic and all. We can get anything here no matter what cuisine. In most cases I don't have to drive more than a few/several miles. Anything really exotic, they prolly got it downtown. (It's an adventure going downtown.)

I guess I question the $ people spend on things that are frivolous. Buying pre-chopped garlic seems a bit frivolous to me. But then, I've been processing beans for hours...

+1

They have pre-chopped garlic in all the markets. I'd rather do my own. Like I said earlier in the topic, chopping is meditation for me.

I found shredded kaffir lime leaves in a jar. Other ingredients are water, salt, and citric acid. Got it in MPLS, don't recall the store, I think it was in one of the big supermarkets. I haven't tried it yet.

The problem with shredded Kaffir lime leaves, they're like bay leaves, you don't eat them. They're mostly an aromatic ingredient. Most often used in curries, you push the leaves to the side of the plate. They're too tough to eat anyway. Ask me how I know. :)

What I don't like about the practice of prechopping garlic and storing it in olive oil is that you don't know the strength of what you are taking each time. Sometimes I only want a mild small clove and sometimes a big clove that has plenty of flavor. I do prefer to do them fresh as I need them. One smack with the back of the knife and the skin comes right off. Smack two and it is done. And I know what I am putting in my dish.

You add the smallest possible amount of EVOO. It's probably 90% garlic and 10% oil. I have calibrated eyes. They know just how much the right amount of garlic is! :) Besides, too much garlic is never enough! :LOL:

I whack the cloves to shuck them too, but I have my own idiosyncratic way of doing them. I either crush them on the cutting board with the heel of my hand, or fold my hands and crush them between both heels. I don't know why I do this but it works for me. :)
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom