How to Cook with Garlic

Published on Monday, June 30, 2008, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

How to Cook with Garlic

Chowhound fayehess, also known as Faye Delicious of Blip.tv, puts whole cloves and heads of garlic into her sauté pan to extract the flavor.

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  • BigWheel, I think it has a lot to do with the taste you are looking for in an individual dish. Some things call out for a tiny bit of perfectly sauteed garlic with every bite, like mussels with white wine and garlic, or others can be beautiful with the depth of flavor of a sear that you get by leaving the cloves whole, and then letting poach gently along with a bone in pork roast (arista). Which...+READ

    BigWheel, I think it has a lot to do with the taste you are looking for in an individual dish. Some things call out for a tiny bit of perfectly sauteed garlic with every bite, like mussels with white wine and garlic, or others can be beautiful with the depth of flavor of a sear that you get by leaving the cloves whole, and then letting poach gently along with a bone in pork roast (arista). Which is even better with a little gremolata once the whole thing is done (minced raw garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and sometimes toasted breadcrumbs.) One of the things I love about using the garlic whole is that you can still cook with garlic for guests that hate to eat it.-COLLAPSE

  • Proper garlic prep is one of those things that no two cooks seem to agree on. Well, everyone agrees that burnt garlic ruins dishes, but nobody agrees on how to optimize the garlic flavor in whatever you're cooking. I've heard it should be sliced, minced, smashed then minced, and never smashed (because you want the compounds that produce pungency and depth to come out when you take a bite, not...+READ

    Proper garlic prep is one of those things that no two cooks seem to agree on. Well, everyone agrees that burnt garlic ruins dishes, but nobody agrees on how to optimize the garlic flavor in whatever you're cooking. I've heard it should be sliced, minced, smashed then minced, and never smashed (because you want the compounds that produce pungency and depth to come out when you take a bite, not produced right away during prep and then dissipated during cooking). And now, infused, peel and all, then removed. Which is right?-COLLAPSE

  • I love this tip--I'm using it all the time now. The flavor is so much better.

    I am a multi-tasker, also known as a former garlic burner

    The only time I saute minced garlic is in stir fry--then I'm realllly watching it for only a few seconds, so no chance to burn.

  • Or, you can just watch the heat so that you don't burn your garlic. People have been doing it that way for generations.

  • less mess


    less is more