Garlic Cooking Tips

HEALTHY COOKING TIPS FOR GARLIC

You'll be hard-pressed to find a savory recipe that doesn't use garlic. Its characteristic flavor adds dimension to just about any main dish, side dish or sauce. And that chopped garlic you throw in your spaghetti sauce might help fight cancer too. So peel some cloves and start chopping—these healthy garlic recipes are big on garlic flavor.

How To Choose And Store Garlic

• When you're at the store, choose GARLIC heads that are firm with no dark, powdery patches on the cloves (that indicates mould). 
• Fresh garlic is more difficult to peel because as garlic ages, it shrivels and reduces in size which makes it separate from the skin.
• Store any unpeeled garlic in an open container in a cool, dry place away from other foods. 
• Peeled garlic cloves may be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator and if you have garlic in an oil-based salad dressing, store it in the fridge because deadly bacteria can grow at room temperature. 
• If the cloves sprout, the garlic is still usable and the sprouts can be used for salads.

Healthy Cooking Tips For Garlic

• Be careful not to overcook or brown garlic when sauteing in oil. If overcooked, it will become bitter and unpleasant tasting. 
• Minced garlic usually cooks in less than 1 minute. Do not have the cooking oil too hot.
• When sauteing onions and garlic in a recipe, add the onions first. When the onions are just about done, add the garlic.
• Roasted garlic adds a sweet, mellow, caramel flavor to soups and salad dressings. It also can be served as an appetizer spread for crackers and focaccia.
• Cutting garlic ruptures the cells and releases these elements, allowing them to come in contact and form a powerful new compound called alliicin, which not only adds to the number of garlic's health-promoting benefits but is also the culprit behind its pungent aroma and gives Garlic its "bite."
• Place garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins should peel off easily.
• Keep peeled and mince garlic fresh by placing it in a small jar and pouring just enough olive oil over it to cover the garlic and then place it in the refrigerator. It will keep its fresh flavor for about a week.
• Add garlic flavor to your salad by cutting a raw garlic clove in half and rubbing the inside of your bowl with the cut edge of the clove.
• To remove the garlic odor from your hands when working with garlic, wash hands thoroughly and then use some type of stainless steel device that can be worked over and around the areas affected on fingers or hands. Stainless steel contains the mineral nickel which acts as a neutralizer for the garlic odor.

Healthy Cooking Methods For Garlic

• Frying Garlic- Use a heavy bottomed deep pan, such as a saucepan and add oil. Heat oil on the stove until it is very hot but not smoking and then add garlic cloves. Fry cloves only until they turn a medium brown and the remove from the heat. Watch very carefully as they begin to brown to avoid burning them. Burnt garlic will have a bitter taste.
• Sauteing Garlic- Sauteing is the most common method used for cooking garlic. It will bring out the nutty but savory flavor of the garlic. Garlic can be sauteed in oil or butter but be careful is using butter because is will burn much faster than oil. Select a pan or skillet with a heavy bottom that will provide for even heating. Heat the oil or butter over medium heat and then add the garlic. The garlic should be stirred often to prevent burning. If cooking with other ingredients that take longer to cook, such as onions, start cooking the other ingredients and allow them to start to cook before adding the garlic.
• Baking Garlic- Place the head of garlic, cut side up, on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle the garlic with a tablespoon of olive oil. Let it sit for a few minutes and then pour on another tablespoon of olive oil. Bundle up the foil over the top of the garlic head. Baking temperature and time can be whatever works for you. Roast the garlic at 350-400 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes. Allow the garlic head to cool. The individual cloves will squeeze right out of their skins. And what can you do with roasted garlic? What can't you do? Roasting garlic makes it very mellow and succulent. You can eat it just the way it is. Or, you can smash it and:

• Add it to mashed potato
• Use it in hummus
• Stir it into soups
• Stir it into any pan sauce or gravy
• Add to a little butter and spread on a toasted bagel or English muffin
• Spread it on a baguette with a little Parmesan or Peccarino cheese
• Stir it into risotto
• Add it to a homemade vinaigrette dressing
• Mix it with sour cream to top a baked potato