One of the first topics we tackled after launching this Kitchen Talk series was onions, and what a wealth of information you shared there! But I can’t believe we haven’t talked about garlic yet, because onions and garlic are just as much a staple in many kitchens as salt and pepper. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as too much garlic.
So let’s remedy that oversight right now! We want to know:
Do you have any garlic tips and tricks to share?
One of my most recent discoveries relates to the photo above. I was preparing a recipe that only called for a few cloves of roasted garlic, and I read somewhere that you can dry roast peeled cloves on a hot skillet over medium heat, occasionally jostling the cloves around, until parts of the peel are charred. Take the cloves off heat, let them cool a bit, and you’re done! The garlic isn’t quite as sweet as the garlic roasted in an oven with olive oil, but it’s pretty darn close—and much more convenient and quicker.
That’s my tip for today! How about you? Any tips for storing or keeping garlic? Advice on safely making—and storing—your own fresh minced garlic paste? Easy peeling? Slicing? Tricks to eliminating that overpowering garlic odor? Any favorite dishes that highlight this wonderful bulb? Funny stories about garlic festivals or inadvertent garlic overdose in the middle of a dinner date? Come share below!
Happy Wednesday, friends!
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Miss Scarlett on 3.8.2015
Yummy Garlic Bread
Cut whole garlic bunch in half and drizzle olive oil on cut part. Wrap in foil and roast approx 20 mins. Spread smushy roasted garlic on baguette and heat in oven makes awesome garlic bread. BTW can’t find Lawrys Garlic Spread, waaaaah!
JOELLEN on 3.8.2015
Love, love love garlic, roasted garlic is just heavenly.
Jeanne on 3.6.2015
Last night, I had about 1/2 cup of hummus and 3 small heads of roasted garlic, so ….. I squeezed the garlic into the hummus, added a little more tahini, olive oil, and salt, then thinned it with some vinegar off my home-pickled jalepenos, and, voila! garlic hummus!
Dede on 3.5.2015
About once a year, I buy fresh peeled garlic in bulk at Sams Club, and roast it in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. After it cools, I freeze it in quart size freezer bags… freezing the bags in a flat position. Then, I can easily break off cloves of roasted garlic for bread, pizza crust or spreads and recipes of any kind.
Patricia G on 3.5.2015
I love garlic and probably add way too much (is there such a thing as too much garlic?) to my dishes but my trick for peeling is: I have a 16 oz bottle of seasoning salt handy and I use the bottom of it to bash the individual cloves, the skin slips off and the garlic is easy to chop into a nice mince. By the way I enjoy these “Let’s talk” segments, lots of useful hints, thank you.
kim on 3.5.2015
I got the stainless steel block that look like a bar of soap for Christmas, and was amazed that it worked so well. Goobye stinky garlic paws!
I took a cooking class a few years ago, and the chef took some leftover peeled cloves of garlic and added them to a little ramekin filled with heavy cream. Then he baked it in the oven until the garlic had softened and sweetened, and the cream had thickened. I can still remember how unctuous that creamy garlic spread was on a slice of baguette.
Last year a friend grew garlic, and gave me these huge fresh heads with a giant stalk still attached. I’m still reeling from how much better it was than the dry stuff in the grocery store. This year I’m going to try to grow my own in pots. Any tips? Wish me luck!
Patricia @ ButterYum on 3.5.2015
I grew up in an Italian household and we used LOTS and LOTS of garlic. WE LOVE GARLIC!! Just about everyone knows how to peel garlic by smashing cloves with a knife of your hand, but I have a few other techniques to share. You can blanch cloves in boiling water for a few seconds until the skins loosen and slip off. Alternatively, you can microwave individual cloves of garlic for a few seconds until the skins slip off. And my favorite tip is to place loose garlic cloves in a covered container and shake for just a few seconds until the skins magically come off – use a jar for a few garlic cloves or a couple of large rimmed bowls held together like a clam shell for a lot of garlic cloves. Here’s a link to my blog post showing the technique. http://www.butteryum.org/blog/2015/3/5/kitchen-hack-the-easiest-way-to-peel-garlic
Donna on 3.5.2015
I use garlic all the time and even give some to the dogs to help rebel ticks!
To peel, I have a soft side tube about 1 inch diameter by 3 inches long – put clove inside, roll and it comes out all peeled. I love it. Just run the tube under water to wash out the skins. Easy and fast.
C. L. ( Cheryl ) "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser on 3.5.2015
With a severe allergy to garlic in any form I never use it. Most of my recipes here on TK garlic can easily be added in any form one may prefer! So, that’s a plus…And…I never have garlic breath! HA! Have a great day everyone.
mnheather on 3.5.2015
I use this little baby for the smell – works great!
http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/stainless-steel-soap
deb on 3.5.2015
A restaurant in my town serves an amazing “garlic dunk” served with chunks of chewy bread. They bring a head of roasted garlic to the table, squeeze the cloves onto a plate, and mash it up with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It is absolutely delicious and easy to replicate at home.
kay43026 on 3.5.2015
Even though my 3 kiddos are now adults (still haven’t figured out how THAT happened) I still use a lot of garlic!
I usually buy it in semi-bulk at at Sam’s/Costco. When the above mentioned kids come over I’ll try to make them take some! I’ve got a beautiful Longaberger basket on my kitchen counter where I store them. When they start to look ‘dry’ they get oven or grill roasted, then stored in a bit of oil in the fridge. I usually use this opportunity to also roast tomatoes since roasted garlic + roasted tomatoes = LOVE.
I cut them in different ways. Mostly my trusty Cutco French knife. I’ve also got a food chopper I’ll use when there’s a lot to chop. Also there’s a curved grater (similar to a microplane) that will get used if it needed to be minced.
Don’t really have a ‘favorite’ recipe since garlic goes in most things!!
http://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=french-chef …the knife I LOVE
KrissyC EsMommy on 3.4.2015
I’m not huge on garlic myself, but my husband loves it. So a little garlic gets added to just about everything from roast to spaghetti. I don’t have any cool tricks for peeling as I generally just smash it and peel it that way. But I do know that vinegar or ketchup work wonders for removing the smell.
Nancy on 3.4.2015
I too liked using my ulu knife until I bought a little twisty thing at our garlic festival last fall. Lovely fine minced garlic in a flash! Our favorite garlic dish is shrimp scampi and I always have my own creamy garlic salad dressing on hand for dressing the greens. We grow garlic every year and store it in mesh bags hanging in a cool area.
Tegan on 3.4.2015
I find that if I smash the clove with the knife, the peel slips off like a dream. And then I can roughly chop it and it’s now close enough to a mince for my tastes.
We also recently instituted a cute little, otherwise-useless, pottery bowl next to the stove to hold the current bulb of garlic we’re working on. Otherwise they rattle around the kitchen and get lost and go bad.
AngAk on 3.4.2015
to remove the odor from hands, wash with soap/water and then rub hands on some stainless steel—I just rub them over the SS faucet. works like a charm.
lena on 3.4.2015
I love using garlic in any recipe I can.
My favorite way to chop garlic is using an uluaq (Yupik eskimo word for a woman’s knife). My sister gave me the set below, which I love, love, love and use exclusively for garlic and onions.
http://shop.theulufactory.com/8-Bowl-with-Inupiat-Ulu-of-your-choice-7BBA.htm