As always, feel free to add your own hints and tips within the comments.
- Choose garlic bulbs that are firm with tight skin rather than shriveled with loose skins. Ignore garlic that has green shoots growing from the top.
- If you find green shoots within the garlic bulb, remove and discard as the green shoots will add to a garlic’s bitterness.
- Keep the garlic dry and cool when in storage. Moisture will make garlic spoil.
- Peeled garlic can be stored for up to five weeks in it’s own container. Also keep peeled cloves cool
- 3 medium cloves of garlic equates to roughly one tablespoon of finely chopped garlic. Also, one clove of garlics equates of 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic.
- To avoid the garlic sticking when dicing, cutting, slicing, mincing, etc, add 1/8 teaspoon of salt for every three cloves of garlic being cut.
- Crushing or pressing a garlic clove releases more of its oils and gives a stronger flavor than if the cloves was sliced or left whole.
- There’s no need to remove the papery garlic skin if using a garlic press.
- To remove garlic skin stuck in a garlic press, use a toothpick to dislodge.
- In order to prevent excessive browning, avoid adding garlic to hot oil. Instead, place in cool oil and allow to come to temperature.
- The flavor of garlic becomes more delicate the longer it is cooked within soups and stews.
- Overbrowning garlic while sauteing will result in a bitter taste.
- A milder taste of garlic can be obtained by blanching unpeeled garlic cloves in boiling water prior to use.
- To combat garlic odor on one’s breath, eat a sprig of parsley, or chew on a whole coffee bean.
- To remove the smell of garlic from ones hands, use lemon juice, or supposedly rubbing the bottom of a stainless steel spoon over your hands and fingertips while they are submerged under running water will do the trick.
