Harnessing Garlic - The Biggest Mistakes when cooking with Garlic

Here at Field To Fork our favorite crop and ingredient we raise is Garlic. This crops is very rewarding to raise and matures at a time when many crops are still immature. I sometimes wonder what would we as humans do with out garlic? I personally cant think of one savory dish garlic is not called for. To us garlic is always the most essential flavor. Garlic takes patience and when used empatiently the beauty of garlic turns ugly. Here are some tips and trick do’s and dont’s when using garlic.

Any cook worth their salt knows that garlic is the seasoning of the gods. Versatile, easy to use, and utterly delicious, you'd be hard-pressed to find a dish that wouldn't benefit from a dash of garlic. It's got a whole load of other uses too: It has medicinal properties, for example, and can combat illnesses such as the common cold. It can also be used as an anti-fatigue agent, turned into an adhesive to fix cracks in glass and, of course, hung up on your door to keep vampires away. The sky's the limit.

More than anything else, however, it's just a great thing to cook with. Unfortunately, although garlic is an incredibly hardy and useful kind of seasoning, it's not impossible to misuse it. In fact, there are plenty of different ways to get garlic wrong, and succumbing to any of these pitfalls could dampen its effect on your dish to the point that you might as well have never used it at all — and that's not fair on anyone, is it?

Let's start with the simple stuff: If you want to use garlic in the kitchen, use garlic. All that pre-minced stuff you find in jars at supermarkets and grocery stores is just going to steer you wrong. Garlic isn't the most exciting thing in the world to peel and chop, but putting yourself through the minor hassle of using actual, fresh garlic will pay dividends during the cooking process.

For one thing, you've got the fact that some research has shown that fresh garlic contains higher levels of allicin, an ingredient which prevents blood clots and bacterial infections. So if you're eating that stuff which comes pre-packaged and stewing in oil and water for weeks on end, you're not even going to be getting any of the amazing health benefits for which garlic is renowned. But if that's not enough to convince you to go fresh, take it from Anthony Bourdain. 

"Misuse of garlic is a crime," he wrote in Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. "Old garlic, burnt garlic, garlic cut too long ago, garlic that has been smashed through one of those abominations, the garlic press, are all disgusting. Avoid it at all costs that vile spew you see rotting in oil in screw-top jars. Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic."

Strong words, but it's hard to argue with them. 

There are a few choice things to look out for to make sure you're getting the right stuff at the right time. Local fresh garlic season, runs from mid-summer through early fall. At other times of the year, the garlic you see in the store is probably coming out of storage.

Basically, if it looks bad or feels bad, it's probably bad.

Improperly storing garlic is probably one of the most common mistakes people make with it. But it's a crucial part of cooking with garlic, and making sure it's kept in the right place will mean it keeps its medicinal properties, its flavor, and its health benefits — not to mention helping it stay fresh for months on end. 

New season garlic (the kind which is harvested in early summer) is a milder kind of garlic which is more easily digested and arguably more flavorful than dry garlic. This type needs to be refrigerated immediately and used within a week.

Dried garlic (the kind you're more likely to find at a grocery store) should be stored at room temperature in a dry, dark place with plenty of circulation. It can also be stored in a paper or mesh bag, as long as there's plenty of dry air around it to stop it from sprouting. Just keep it out of the refrigerator. As long as you do this, the garlic will keep for several months (although that time period decreases significantly once you've started to remove cloves from the bulb). 

If you've already minced garlic, you should be able to keep it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, but you still ought to use it as soon as possible. Finally, freezing is a huge no-no — it'll damage the garlic's flavor and its texture. Dry, dark, and airy; that's what you're going for.

Peeling garlic is never fun. It's fiddly, sticky, and takes just long enough to constitute a real pain in the neck — but there's no need to let it become such a nightmare. For starters, there's no need to mess around trying to find a way to scratch off the skin. Nor do you need to cut off any more of the clove than just the top in order to more easily peel it — this is largely inefficient, and will waste as much time as it does garlic.

No, there are two simple ways you can peel a garlic clove. The first involves placing the clove on a chopping board, placing the flat side of a knife against it and pushing down with your hand. It will crush the garlic itself downwards and loosen the skin, allowing you to take it off with zero effort. The second method involves pulling apart all the cloves and placing them in a mason jar with the lid on. You then shake the jar as hard as you can for around 20 seconds, after which the cloves should have pretty much peeled themselves. Empty them out, separate the skin and the cloves, and you're left with a fully-peeled bulb of garlic. Trust us, you'll never look back.

Chopping garlic is not the most difficult process in the world — especially if you've got experience in the kitchen — but that doesn't mean it's not possible to make some errors while you're at it. Firstly, speed is good, since dawdling at chopping means the garlic could oxidize and become bitter in flavor. (Of course, it's worth remembering that at no point should you actually rush to chop garlic; knives are knives, after all).

The slices you cut from the clove should always be identically-sized. Keeping them consistent in thickness and length means that, should you use slices rather than diced garlic in your recipe, they'll be less likely to burn during cooking. When dicing, keep your hand steady, your knife under control, and make sure not to have any mismatched pieces once the clove has been diced. Each little piece of garlic will need to be the same size to keep it cooking consistently and prevent any from burning.

So you think you're ready. You've gotten a nice bulb of fresh, seasonal garlic. You've stored it well. You've peeled it, diced it, now it's time to throw it in the pan. Right?

Wrong. Lower the garlic and step away from the pan — because, yes, adding garlic to a dish too soon can ruin the whole thing. Here's the thing: garlic burns really easily. Like, really, really easily. And chopping it into little pieces will make it cook (and burn) even more quickly. It's crucial that you don't add the garlic to the pan until at least half-way through the cooking process (in the case of stir-fries and sautés), or very soon before you add a liquid element (such as pasta sauce) to the pan, which will bring down the temperature and prevent burning. If in doubt, add the garlic later rather than sooner — it's always better to have it come out undercooked than overcooked. Besides, raw garlic is good for you, dontcha know?

This should go without saying, too. Just as you should never throw garlic in the pan for long enough that it'll be allowed to burn, nor should you cook it on a high heat. Instead, you'd be best off starting at a low heat and gradually increasing as and when it's needed. If you cook garlic on a high heat immediately, it'll be too crispy and lacking in flavor by the time the pan has adjusted to the lower temperature. Keep an eye on the garlic and, once it begins to turn golden-brown, bring the heat down and add whatever's coming next in the recipe. Once the garlic is safe from the hot oil — sitting on a bed of vegetables, for example, or stirred into a sauce — then you'll be okay to turn the heat back up.

This rule goes when you're roasting in an oven, too, and it's probably best to keep the temperature below 375 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the garlic tasty and soft.

We se an overuse of garlic in cooking in general, and in vegetarian cooking especially, I recently had pizza at a well know local pizza joint and the pre chopped raw garlic on the pizza was not tasty and actually tasted and smelled like dirty feet. The pizza was not tasty and I wont be returnig anytime soon. If you cant take the time to use real garlic then maybe its best leave it out altogether. More subtle dishes don't need garlic, and that should be celebrated. While garlic is an easy way to add a big punch of flavor, seasoning, spice and citrus can all do it, too. Miss using garlic is a crime to us on the farm. Once you harness cooking with garlic the next step is growing and you can look for garlic seed grown by yours truly this fall. Regionally adapted garlic seed is priceless when you look at all the benefits. Pre-orders will be available soon.

Western Colorado Purple - Hardneck culinary Variety. Over 10 years of seed selection and flavor selection. We finally have our dream garlic and we have raised more then enough to have some available for sale this September.