Garlic

slowburner

Garlic is a total mystery to me. I have often put eight or nine cloves into a dish (Pasta Ailalolio for eg.) and it simply does not taste of garlic. Then there are dishes where you just rub in a little bit and it tastes garlicalicious (bruschetta). I know you can burn garlic and it becomes bitter and you can undercook it and it tastes raw. But when I think I have found the happy medium - tasteless. I heard that the more finely chopped, the stronger the flavour.
How long on average, should I sauté finely chopped garlic for?
Do garlic bulbs vary in quality from shop to shop?

The Hill Billy

If you want to boost the flavour in a dish you would be best to used grated or crushed & finely minced garlic. This way more of the oils are released & you get a more garlicky taste.

Garlic will vary in quality from shop to shop & indeed within a single display in a shop. Look for bulbs where the skin isn't totally dried & paper-like. Unfortunately, your chances of getting a really fresh bulb are limited in Irish supermarkets. Try a farmers' market - you may have better luck.

slowburner

I have just harvested my home grown bulbs this year but I still seem to manage zero flavour - even with crushed/minced garlic. Am I overcooking it? I also notice that the flavour seems better when sauteed in butter (doesn't everything? ).

Eddie-B

I have always thought the longer the garlic is in the pan the less it has an impact, I used to have garlic and onions in a pan to brown and by the end of the dish i would be searching for an garlic flavour. I think this is due to how long the garlic has been cooking for.

For sauces i have started adding garlic towards the end of it too. Crushed garlic and fresh basil put into a simple tomato sauce about 30 seconds away from taking it off the heat leaves me with a garlic basil dream.

For meats its all about rubbing for me. I crush it and rub it on meats and then before cooking i take it all off and add it to olive oil to brush on the meat while it cooks.

rubadub

I'm lazy so just use minced garlic, you get it in aisan supermarkets FAR cheaper than supermarkets, they have dirty big catering size ones for under €5 if you are a garlic monster. I do prefer fresh garlic but at least the taste will be consistent throughout the jar.

I keep mine in the fridge and only ever take the cap off for seconds to help it keep better (minimise airbourne contaminants dropping in).

Alun

slowburner wrote: »

I have just harvested my home grown bulbs this year but I still seem to manage zero flavour - even with crushed/minced garlic. Am I overcooking it? I also notice that the flavour seems better when sauteed in butter (doesn't everything? ).

I always find that 'fresh' garlic, i.e. still with the white rubbery skin that hasn't turned to the paper like skin we're more used to, is a lot milder than when it's been hung and left to dry or 'mature' for a while. I actually quite like it for some uses, but if you're looking for a real garlic 'hit' you may be out of luck.

I'm just about to harvest mine too, looking forward to it!

The Hill Billy

I've found the opposite. Here in Switz I get lovely big heads of fresh garlic. I find it way more garlicky than the more 'aged' stuff I usually get stuck with back home.