All About Garlic
Preparing Garlic For Cooking Photo Tutorial


 

Garlic Health Benefits and Uses

Garlic health benefits and medicinal properties have long been known. Garlic has long been considered a herbal "wonder drug", with a reputation for preventing everything from the common cold and flu to the Plague! It has been used extensively in herbal medicine (phytotherapy, sometimes spelt phitotherapy).

Raw garlic is used by some to treat the symptoms of acne and there is some evidence that it can assist in managing high cholesterol levels. It can even be effective as a natural mosquito repellent.

In general, a stronger tasting clove of garlic has more sulphur content and hence more medicinal value.


Garlic Facts and Myths

Did you know that one clove of garlic is ten times stronger pushed through a garlic press than one clove minced fine with a sharp knife?

Did you know that the Roman historian, Pliny, lists no less than sixty-one medicinal uses for garlic? A few are:

  • Vampires flee from it.

  • Will cure a cold.

  • Will cure warts.

  • Will stop fainting spells.

  • Wards off the evil eye.

  • Will grow hair.

  • A restorative for failing masculine powers.

  • Alleviates high blood pressure.


bunches of fresh garlic

Linda's Favorite Garlic Recipes:

Cafe Terra Cotta Garlic Custard

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Garlicky Accordian Potatoes

Hot Garlic-Parmesan Souffle'

Poached Garlic Soup

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic Dipping Sauce with Fresh Ginger & Tamari
 

 


basket of garlic
Garlic Sayings:

"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good!"  - Alice May Brock
 

"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat."  - Old New York Yiddish Saying

 

Garlic (Allium sativum L.), a member of the onion family, has been cultivated for thousands of years and is widely used for both its culinary and medicinal attributes. As Americans have become more accustomed to garlic flavor and knowledgeable about the many health benefits of eating garlic, popularity of this crop has increased.

Most garlic in the U.S. is grown in the mild climate of northern California. Varieties adapted to mild climates and then grown in cold climates often do not perform well and usually develop a very "hot" flavor. Garlic is an adaptable species, however, and over thousands of years, varieties have been selected that grow well in cold climates, often with better garlic flavor than the varieties grown in mild climates.

Garlic is available year round, but is freshest between March and August. Garlic is available in forms other than fresh, such as powder, flakes, oil, and puree.

Did you know - the elephant garlic is not a true garlic and is actually much milder than white garlic.


Selecting Garlic

When selecting garlic, it should be big, plump and firm, tight silky skins with its paper-like covering intact, not spongy, soft, or shriveled. Why buy small ones that are a pain to peel? As with all ingredients for cooking, buy the best garlic you can afford.

Also remember that a single bulb of garlic usually contains between ten and twenty individual cloves of garlic. The individual cloves are covered with a fine pinkish/purple skin, and the head of cloves is then covered with white papery outer skin.

When preparing garlic for cooking, remove any green sprouts from the center of the garlic clove, as the sprouts add an unpleasant bitterness.


Garlic Equivalents

1 head or bulb of garlic = (about)  10 to 15 cloves.

1 small garlic clove = 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder = 1/4 teaspoon garlic juice = 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 medium garlic clove = 1 teaspoon minced garlic = 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 large garlic clove = 2 teaspoons minced garlic = 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 extra-large garlic clove = 1 tablespoon minced garlic


Storing Garlic

Unbroken garlic bulbs will keep for up to 3 to 4 months. Individual cloves will keep from 5 to 10 days. Store in a cool, dark, and dry location (dampness is the enemy of garlic, so store away from stove and sink). If the cloves sprout, the garlic is still usable and the sprouts can be used for salads.


Cooking With Garlic

Be careful not to overcook or brown garlic when sautéing in oil. If overcooked, it will become bitter and unpleasant tasting. Minced garlic usually cooks in less than 1 minute. Do not have the cooking oil too hot.

When sautéing onions and garlic in a recipe, add the onions first. When the onions are just about done, add the garlic.

Sautéing Garlic - Sautéing is the most common method used for cooking garlic. It will bring out the nutty but savory flavor of the garlic. Garlic can be sautéed in oil or butter but be careful is using butter because is will burn much faster than oil.

  1. Select a pan or skillet with a heavy bottom that will provide for even heating.
     

  2. Heat the oil or butter over medium heat and then add the garlic.
     

  3. The garlic should be stirred often to prevent burning.
     

  4. If cooking with other ingredients that take longer to cook, such as onions, start cooking the other ingredients and allow them to start to cook before adding the garlic.

 


Preparing garlic for cooking - Photo Tutorial:

This photo tutorial on preparing garlic for cooking is courtesy of Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX. Check out more of Cynthia's Southwest Recipes.
 

Pull off a the number of cloves required for your recipe.

Using the flat side of a large knife, carefully hit the clove with the knife using the palm of your hand.

 

This will crush the clove partially and break loose the paper like skin around it.

You can now easily peel off the skin.

Coarsely chop the garlic.

Add the salt, using the amount required in the recipe or a part of that amount.  If you are not adding the entire amount of salt, don’t forget to add the rest later.
 

Using your palm against the flat blade again, press down forcing the salt to rub into the garlic.  This will grind the garlic into a fine almost paste.

The resulting garlic and salt mix will be finely chopped, easier to distribute through-out the recipe.


Garlic Turning Blue or Green

Latest Findings:

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Volume 54, Issue 3 (February 08, 2006), p. 843-847, Identification of Two Novel Pigment Precursors and a Reddish-Purple Pigment Involved in the Blue-Green Discoloration of Onion and Garlic, written by Shinsuke Imai, Kaori Akita, Muneaki Tomotake, and Hiroshi Sawada.

Abstract:

By using a model reaction system representing blue-green discoloration that occurs when purees of onion (Allium cepa L.) and garlic (Allium sativum L.) are mixed, we isolated two pigment precursors (PPs) and a reddish-purple pigment (PUR-1) and determined their chemical structures. PPs were isolated from a heat-treated solution containing color developer (CD) and either L-valine or L-alanine, and their structures were determined as 2-(3,4-dimethylpyrrolyl)-3-methylbutanoic acid (PP-Val), and 2-(3,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrolyl) propanoic acid (PP-Ala), respectively. Next, PUR-1 was isolated from a heat-treated solution containing PP-Val and allicin, and its structure was determined as (1E)-1-(1-((1S)-1-carboxy-2-methylpropyl)-3,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-prop-1-enylene-3-(1-((1S)-1-carboxy-2-methylpropyl)-3,4-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-2-ylidenium). The structure of PUR-1 suggested that PP molecules containing a 3,4-dimethyl pyrrole ring had been cross-linked by an allyl group of allicin to form conjugated pigments. While PUR-1 is a dipyrrole compound exhibiting a reddish-purple color, a color shift toward blue to green can be expected as the cross-linking reaction continues to form, for example, tri- or tetrapyrrole compounds.

What the above means:

The discoloration is due to pigments that form between sulfur compounds in garlic and amino acids. When the garlic tissue is disrupted, as happens in processing, an enzyme is liberated and reacts with it to form thiosulfinates compounds that then react with the natural amino acids in the garlic to form blue pigments. The age of garlic determines how much isoalliin there is in the first place, and the nature of the processing determines how much enzyme is liberated.


Original thoughts and ideas:

Garlic is known to contain sulfur compounds which can react with minute traces of copper to form copper sulfate, a blue or blue-green compound. The amount of copper needed for this reaction is very small and is frequently found in normal water supplies. Raw garlic contains an enzyme that if not inactivated by heating reacts with sulfur (in the garlic) and copper (from water or utensils) to form blue copper sulfate. The garlic is still safe to eat.

  • If fresh garlic is picked before it is fully mature and hasn't been properly dried, it can turn and iridescent blue or green color when in the presence of an acid. It may be caused by an allinin derivative.

  • A reaction between garlic's natural sulfur content and any copper in your water supply, or in the cooking utensils your are using (such as cast iron, tin, or aluminum) can sometimes change the color of garlic.

  • The other sources of copper might be butter, lemon juice, or vinegar.

  • Garlic will also turn green (develop chlorophyll) if exposed to an temperature change or is exposed to sunlight. Some people say it can be stored for 32 days at or above 70 - 80° F to prevent greening (but I'm not yet sure that is true).

  • Are you using table salt instead of kosher or canning salt? That can cause the garlic to turn blue or green. Table salt contains iodine, which discolors whatever you're pickling. Use kosher or pickling salt.
     

  • Different varieties or growing conditions can actually produce garlic with an excess natural bluish/green pigmentation (anthocyanins*) made more visible after pickling.

    * Any of various water-soluble pigments that impart to flowers and other plant parts colors ranging from violet and blue to most shades of red. This pigment is produced after chlorophyll is destroyed due to environmental changes. This is a variable phenomenon that is more pronounced for immature garlic but can differ among cloves within a single head of garlic. If you grow your own garlic, be sure to mature it at room temperature for a couple of weeks before using it.

Don't worry, greenish-blue color changes aren't harmful and your garlic is still safe to eat. (unless you see other signs of spoilage).

 


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