Garlic: How to Buy, Peel, Dice, Cook, and More
Art by Erik Mace for Yahoo Food
Garlic is a staple in many kitchens. Lots of recipes call for it, and if you’re whipping something up from what’s leftover in your pantry and fridge, garlic is the saving grace that will take your dish from so-so to delish. Even better, it’s known to have health benefits and is used to treat heart and blood conditions. Garlic is a superfood that’s been consumed for centuries by Greek Olympians and Roman soldiers heading into battle.
Here’s everything you need to know to get the most out of that head of garlic.
PHOTO: Susan Findlay/Stocksy
Buying Garlic
The tightest bulbs of garlic are the freshest
Elephant garlic is delicious and way more mild that your standard garlic it almost tastes similar to a leek. So if you are planning on kissing someone later, this might be a better call!
Anything brownish in color or sprouting, means its been out of the ground for a while, pass it up.
PHOTO: Giada Canu/Stocksy
Peeling Garlic
Take the entire bulb of garlic and lean your entire body weight on it to loosen the cloves. Place the cloves a big bowl. Turn a smaller bowl upside down fitting it over the bog bowl. Shake the garlic very hard for one minute. Most of the paper should come right off.
Take a garlic clove and lay it on the board. With the side of your knife carefully pop the garlic (do not smash) and peel the paper off.
Plunge the garlic cloves into boiling water for 2 minutes. Shock the cloves in ice water and using a pairing knife, the cloves should pop right out.
PHOTO: Nabi Tang/Stocksy
Slice Garlic
Put a peeled clove of garlic on your board and lay it on its side.
Hold the brown root end with your non-knife hand.
Put the tip of the knife on the board at 45 degree angle
Carefully slide the knife through the garlic clove, resting your non-knife hand on the blade and guide the size of the slices
Garlic Mince and Paste
Put a peeled clove of garlic on your board and lay it on its side.
Using the side of your knife or a bench scraper smash the garlic clove with every ounce of your power. The harder you smash this the easier the paste is to make.
Sprinkle the garlic with a pinch of salt and small swig of olive oil. The salt will act as an abrasive and help pulverize the garlic as well as draw out any of the moisture. The oil will make the texture fluid and paste like.
Placing your non-dominant wrist on the board, sneak the top end of your blade underneath your fingers. Creating a vertex.
Using a mixture between an up and down motion and a scraping, mince the garlic. Once minced place your knife flat horizontally over the pile of garlic.
Pressing down, smear the garlic over the entire surface of the board.
After about 1 minute the garlic will look translucent and paste like.
More Garlic Tips
Why You Shouldn’t Peel Your Garlic When You Use a Garlic Press
Why You Shouldn’t Throw Away Old, Sprouting Garlic
Garlic Recipes
Chili-Garlic Sweet Potato Wedges
Squash and Lentil Salad With Garlic Cashew Cream
PHOTO: Stephen DeVries/Offset
Tips and Tidbits
To get the garlic smell off your hands, rub your hands with stainless steel or a bunch of fresh herbs (sage, parsley, rosemary work best) and no lemons don’t work, that great
To get the garlic smell out of your kitchen, boil a pot of cider vinegar for 15-20 minutes.
Garlic presses are ok, but you do loose a good amount of garlic in the tool itself.
Store chopped garlic in a jar and cover it with cheap olive oil in the fridge. It will keep for two weeks and the oil left from the garlic is incredible to cook with!
Cutting the garlic in half lengthwise and removing the green sprout, is said to help with digestion, and bad breath.
