I prefer fresh. I buy a full head and do what I need. I do have jarred minced and powder. If I'm lazy or a recipe calls for a small amount I use the jarred. If a recipe calls for powder, that's what I use. I never thought of using powder to enhance, maybe on the plate. I do it with salt or pepper, why not garlic or for that matter anything.
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Last edited by RichieB; February 28, 2023, 10:39 AM. -
Does elephant garlic grow a trunk instead of a stem?
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Here is a good video going over many of the different forms of garlic and their different tastes and uses I saw a year or two ago:
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I hate to confess, but I'm in the minced garlic camp, as I can keep a jar of that in the fridge and measure it out when a recipe calls for it, but if I bought fresh, I would end up using a few cloves and tossing the rest. Mostly because my wife is NOT a garlic person. Most of the sauces and rubs I use it in she doesn't notice it as a primary component, but if it is, then she tends not to like the dish. My kids are the opposite, especially my youngest daughter, and I think she would put it in everything if she could.
I used to hate how powdered garlic would clump up after it had been open a while, but solved that buy only buying granulated garlic these days - it works great for me in rub recipes that call for powdered garlic.
And garlic salt - I have the same issues as I do with garlic powder. I've got a big shaker of it that is mostly clumped up now, and needs to be tossed. I'll mix some salt and granulated garlic if I want garlic salt.Comment
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Back about 40 years ago I worked with a guy who ate raw garlic. He did it because he didn’t like people, and it kept them away. He ate so much garlic that you could smell it in his body odor as well as his breath.
I was told that about a year earlier, he was a super nice and friendly guy. But he was in a bad car accident and had some head trauma, and when he recovered he’d had a personality change. He wasn’t exactly unfriendly, but he was very curt and to the point in conversation, and only talked with other people to the extent that he needed to for conducting business.
For example, I knew about the garlic because he told me. “If you’re wondering, I eat a lot of garlic. I do it because I don’t like people, and it keeps them away from me.” Pretty much like that. Not unfriendly, just matter-of-fact.Comment
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I also grow garlic… it’s my favorite thing to grow…
the majority of the bulbs I have are from bulbs given to my Dad 30 years ago…
now they’re growing everywhere…. I move them to rows…
I put that $#[¥ on everything…
I slice it, pickle it, smash it, press it… I fry it first before frying breakfast eggs…
I worry about traffic stops… as I figure they have a garlic breath meter by now…
I’ve got hundreds of bulbs…
The majority is elephant garlic…
Which means the majority of what I cook is EG…
Last edited by Washblue; March 1, 2023, 08:37 AM.Comment
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I've found myself reaching for Garlic paste (the stuff in the tube) more lately.....laziness may be a factor.Comment
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Funny you should bring this up. Love the stuff meself. That said, I just cooked a meal for 9, Chinese. The wok got a workout the guest of honor was allergic to garlic & onions. It was a bit of a challenge, especially with the use of hoisin sauce which contains garlic. Used a Panda Honey sauce instead. Everything came out great, so they said.Comment
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I grow my own and love it. Expanded my crop this year and will probably do it again this year. I am also trying elephant garlic, but as ComfortablyNumb notes it is a leek. BTW, I see him as an authority on this topic.Comment
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I use it all, all of the time: fresh garlic, minced garlic in a jar, and vac sealed peeled garlic, granulated garlic. It depends on what I'm cooking. For example, when I make Dewesq55 's amazing recipe for Gambas al Ajillo, I swear I can taste each type of fresh garlic prep (there are 3 garlic preps in the recipe: minced, sliced, and smashed) . I also use only fresh garlic in salad dressings and in garlic-forward dishes like Aglio E Olio.
But for dishes like stews or many Indian dishes, I honestly can't taste the difference. I experience non-purist and pragmatic feelings as I slide teaspoons of that minced garlic from a jar right into the pan.
For the vacuum-sealed pre-peeled garlic cloves, many folks I know turn up their noses, but when Kenji Lopez-Alt used them for his Vietnamese Noodles, implying that there was no way he was going to peel 10-15 cloves for this dish, he won my heart. Again.
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; March 1, 2023, 04:57 PM.Comment
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All this talk of garlic is making me hungry. We use it all in our house but mostly powder and minced. If I’m making something special that calls for garlic I’ll use bulbs and the press.
It also keeps the vampires away.Comment
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Garlic scapes, roasted garlic, and black garlic is my new favorite seasoningComment
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