The Garlic Wars

[MostlyWater]

Just wonder what your thoughts on this are ...I buy already peeled garlic in a small tub which lasts me several weeks. When I bring it home, I have been running it through a chopper so it's ready to use.

Then, I saw a sort of Garlic Chopper, in which I could stick the already-peeled-but-not-yet-pureed garlic.

So I was wondering ... which way would be fresher?

Is it fresher to keep it already ground in the fridge, or is it fresher to grind it each time I want to use it?

thanks ....

 

[GLC]

Are you making a distinction between chopped (diced) and pureed? I think I'd keep them whole in the original container and deal with as desired each time. I don't think any allium does very well in storage after it's been broken down much from its whole form. The compounds that create the garlic flavor are released when the cell walls are broken in crushing, etc. So up until then, they are contained intact and will therefor not oxidize so long as the cloves are whole. Without putting too fine a point on it, preserving the flavor compounds is reason enough for me to want to keep them whole. And although peeling in no real chore, since you buy them already peeled, it's just a matter of mashing them with the flat of a knife or using your chopper, which is no trouble at all to have the freshest.

 

[MostlyWater]

I see what you mean....thanks.

 

[Harry Cobean]

Just wonder what your thoughts on this are ...I buy already peeled garlic in a small tub which lasts me several weeks. When I bring it home, I have been running it through a chopper so it's ready to use.

Then, I saw a sort of Garlic Chopper, in which I could stick the already-peeled-but-not-yet-pureed garlic.

So I was wondering ... which way would be fresher?

Is it fresher to keep it already ground in the fridge, or is it fresher to grind it each time I want to use it?

thanks ....

i'm with glc on this one mw.for what's involved i always peel & chop,slice,grate or whatever as needed.refrigeration also dramatically changes the flavour of certain veg including potatoes & garlic.freezing apparently doesn't.the freezer section of the asian food dept in my local supermarket sells packs of frozen minced garlic cubes.each cube is equivalent to about 3 cloves & 100% pure with no additives.they cost about $1 for 1 pound of cubes so very economical.obviously they can only be used in certain dishes but taste just as good.i always have a pack in the freezer for emergencies or speed.they do ginger for the same price,also excellent.worth checking out mw?

 

[Gravy Queen]

WhispersI keep Lazy Garlic in......

Sshhhhhh

 

[MyCrummyApartment]

At home I like just breaking of a clove whenever I need it, because a lot of times I am not sure is I will be dicing it, slicing it or just crushing it. It also has the strongest flavor when you first peel it.

In the restaurant we can't be playing around with peeling cloves of garlic al a carte, if you know what I mean. So every day somebody (whoever has a few minutes) finely chops up several clusters and then we soak the pulp in olive oil and just spoon out from the saute cold table as needed. So in that sense, if you are planning on using a lot (even at home) in the next few days, this is a very good alternative.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

There is no garlic fresher than freshly minced garlic. Garlic starts oxidizing the moment it hits the air. The only thing you can do is keep the air off it.

I always take any unused minced garlic and cover it with a minimal amount of EVOO. Minced garlic is often or mostly used with vegetable oil (in sautes, salad dressings, etc.) so keeping it in EVOO just combines two ingredients you'll use together anyway, and keeps the air off.

I've never bought pre-minced garlic. Are they mixed with vegetable oil?

 

[4meandthem]

I live 15 minutes from the Garlic capitol of the world. I buy fresh, jarred/minced and frozen cubes and granulated. They all have their place. The jarred has been steamed cooked to eliminate botulism and is kinda gummy. It is probably my least favorite of the bunch but still works in marinades.

Fresh can't be beat for almost anything except a dry rub. There are just times we all need shortcuts.

The frozen cubes are good and also get basil and ginger as well for those times when thers is nothing else.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

#1 way to use garlic before it goes limp:

Preheat oven 350. Cut top (pointy) ends off garlic heads. Wrap several or a dozen in aluminum foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. (Do this while you're roasting something else.) Let cool then squeeze the heads and the roasted soft pulp comes out like little fat worms. (I'm sure I could have found a more appetizing/appealing way to describe that.) then mix the puree into a paste and use that later to incorporate the roasted garlic flavor into other foods. My best application of this: garlic mashed potatoes.

 

[Andy M.]

I am frustrated by the garlic I see in the stores. It's often a small head made up of a zillion tiny little cloves. WAY too much work to get a decent amount of garlic. I am always looking for nice big heads made up of all big plump cloves.

I'm tempted to buy a press so I can just toss the cloves in without peeling and squeeze away.

 

[TATTRAT]

#1 way to use garlic before it goes limp:

Preheat oven 350. Cut top (pointy) ends off garlic heads. Wrap several or a dozen in aluminum foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. (Do this while you're roasting something else.) Let cool then squeeze the heads and the roasted soft pulp comes out like little fat worms. (I'm sure I could have found a more appetizing/appealing way to describe that.) then mix the puree into a paste and use that later to incorporate the roasted garlic flavor into other foods. My best application of this: garlic mashed potatoes.

I love this method, BUT, this is roasted garlic. While I prefer it's mellowness, and ease of use, it's not the same as fresh chopped garlic. It lacks that bite, and initial zing that fresh chopped, toasted crispy garlic has, and yields to a dish. Like an aglio y olio wouldn't be the same with roasted garlic, imo. Also, you mentioned garlic mashed potatoes, a perfect example of the mellowness of ROASTED, v. fresh and toasted. Roasted Garlic, imo, is a FAR better alternative, as it gets the garlic in there, but the flavor is rounded out nicely, v fresh/sauteed/toasted where it's in your face garlic.

 

[4meandthem]

I stopped roasting garling and started taking the whole peeled cloves and putting them in a small sauce pan covered in olive oil. cook at a low heat for an hour and you will have great cloves without the paper mess and the added bonus of the oil to use in other things. They come out plumper and just as sweet. My pan only holds about 10-12 oz

 

[TATTRAT]

I stopped roasting garling and started taking the whole peeled cloves and putting them in a small sauce pan covered in olive oil. cook at a low heat for an hour and you will have great cloves without the paper mess and the added bonus of the oil to use in other things. They come out plumper and just as sweet. My pan only holds about 10-12 oz

We do that, it's basically garlic confit. Again, a GREAT thing to have on hand, and the oil gets so perfumed/infused with garlicky goodness like you said. Great for just sauteing, but AWESOME for Salad dressings, especially for home made Ceaser dressing. Also, for mayo/aioli. . . couple of egg yolks, some of the oil, add a little crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, a tiny hit of pomery mustard, a tiny hit of balsamic and a little fresh thyme=a great sandwich spread.

 

[4meandthem]

We do that, it's basically garlic confit. Again, a GREAT thing to have on hand, and the oil gets so perfumed/infused with garlicky goodness like you said. Great for just sauteing, but AWESOME for Salad dressings, especially for home made Ceaser dressing. Also, for mayo/aioli. . . couple of egg yolks, some of the oil, add a little crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, a tiny hit of pomery mustard, a tiny hit of balsamic and a little fresh thyme=a great sandwich spread.

I drooled a little! I am so doing that!

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I am frustrated by the garlic I see in the stores. It's often a small head made up of a zillion tiny little cloves. WAY too much work to get a decent amount of garlic. I am always looking for nice big heads made up of all big plump cloves.

I'm tempted to buy a press so I can just toss the cloves in without peeling and squeeze away.

Andy I grow my own, Harry planted these in the autumn of 2011 and the necks are already as thick as a cumberland sausage.
Harry tried the leaves last week...............they blew his socks off.

 

[Andy M.]

Bolas, precise directions to your garden, please.

 

[MyCrummyApartment]

I stopped roasting garling and started taking the whole peeled cloves and putting them in a small sauce pan covered in olive oil. cook at a low heat for an hour and you will have great cloves without the paper mess and the added bonus of the oil to use in other things. They come out plumper and just as sweet. My pan only holds about 10-12 oz

Interesting. Okay I normally do exactly this but I peel them first. How do you extract the garlic from the peel after cooking? Are you just squeezing out mush? If you leave it in the peel, how do you store the garlic?

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

The cloves just squish out with either method, sort of like a caterpillar crawling out of a chrysalis. The husks don't stick any more.

 

[4meandthem]

Interesting. Okay I normally do exactly this but I peel them first. How do you extract the garlic from the peel after cooking? Are you just squeezing out mush? If you leave it in the peel, how do you store the garlic?

I said peeled cloves.

 

[Harry Cobean]

garlic peeler

i've got one of these,works a treat:
Great garlic peeler - YouTube