ISO Help with Garlic

[HomeCook58]

I am new to cooking and this forum and I am a senior citizen.

I am confused about uses of garlic. I bought a jar of minced garlic and many recipes call for cloves of garlic, then crushed, cracked, mashed, minced etc.
CONFUSED I am to say the least ... none of my cookbooks seem to tell me how to use or fix garlic.

I have a bag of them 0h they are white and there must be a dozen in the bag. white skin like an onion.
from there I am lost.

 

[jkath]

Hi HomeCook
I believe for the minced garlic that you purchased, you can use ½ to 1 tsp for the equivalent to 1 clove. You can also check the label on the product, as it should give you a better idea.

Also, as for your bag of garlic - each head of garlic has many cloves in it. Each will look individually wrapped in a papery coating. This makes them easy to seperate.
If you take the full head and give it a slight twist between your hands, a couple of the cloves should break free. From there, If you cut JUST the hard end off (where it was attached), and then place the remainder on a cutting board, you can CAREFULLY place a large knife flat on top of it (parallel to the cutting board), and again CAREFULLY give a small whack with the heel of your hand.
This will slightly break the clove, and the paper will easily peel off.

Make sure to keep your garlic in a cool dark place, or it will sprout!

As far as crushed, cracked, minced, etc.... just cut it up into tiny pieces and you should be fine

 

[Dawgluver]

Great advice, Jkath! I keep my fresh garlic in the fridge, seems to help with the sprouting problem. I like to keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge, so convenient for sauce and all.

Roasted garlic is fantastic. Leave the garlic head whole, cut a bit off the top sprouty end, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt, wrap in foil, then put in a preheated oven (350° I think, please correct me someone as I'm out of town) and bake till it's soft and buttery, about 45 minutes ( again, please correct). You should be able to pull off a clove and squish it. Smear on everything, bread, crackers, put on baked potatoes, vegetables, dips, you get the picture.

 

[pacanis]

The fridge. I've not heard that before for garlic. Once in a while I buy those mesh bags with a lot in them and the last few usually start to sprout. I'll have to keep the fridge in mind.

 

[buckytom]

Roasted garlic is fantastic. Leave the garlic head whole, cut a bit off the top sprouty end, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt, wrap in foil, then put in a preheated oven (350° I think, please correct me someone as I'm out of town)

no, it's still the same at home or abroad...

 

[pacanis]

I always thought you put it in your garlic roaster

 

[GLC]

Okay, using the garlic you've prepared.

Garlic suffers tastewise when boiled. Saute garlic before adding it to cooking food. When adding garlic to other things being sauteed, garlic overcooks very quickly, so leave it to near the end. It can take less than a minute to properly cook minced garlic.

In braises, slow-cooked stews, etc., cut top off of a whole garlic, exposing the interior of the cloves. Insert it partly down into the center of the pot, and remove it and discard after cooking.

If you want a whole bunch of peeled garlic, you can try this neat trick that does all the heads in a few seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/0d3oc24fD

 

[sparrowgrass]

Another easy way to peel bunches of garlic is to break the head up and blanch the cloves for 60 seconds in boiling water. You can then just pop the cloves out of their skins.

 

[GotGarlic]

I keep my garlic in a basket built into the kitchen island, so it's not exposed to light, which keeps the sprouting down. Sprouting cloves can be planted and in 6-8 months, you'll have new heads of garlic.

 

[CWS4322]

I keep my garlic in a basket built into the kitchen island, so it's not exposed to light, which keeps the sprouting down. Sprouting cloves can be planted and in 6-8 months, you'll have new heads of garlic.

I keep mine a basket, too. If they sprout, I use the greens in salads. I also have a nifty garlic peeler:

Garlic Peeler : The Pampered Chef, Ltd. - Shopping

It also works for removing the skins from pearl onions. I also use it to skin almonds that I've blanched. I don't use the jarred stiff or powdered garlic. I go through a lot of fresh garlic. If you don't want too much garlic flavor, slice it instead of mincing it.

 

[jkath]

LOVE that Saveur Video, GLC!