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| Garlic – The Versatile Aromatic Bulb |
Mmmm. Garlic.
This week’s flavoring ingredient is garlic. Garlic is a bulb in the onion family. Its close
relatives include the onion, shallot, leek and chive. It has been used for both culinary
and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. With the exception of the single clove
types, the bulb also referred to as a “set” and is divided into numerous fleshy sections
called cloves. Cloves can be consumed raw or cooked and have a characteristic
pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably when cooked. Almost
every cuisine in the world uses garlic in some form. In Korea, you will often find a small
bowl of garlic cloves on the table for something to nosh on, similar to chips and salsa in
Mexican restaurants. Garlic comes in several different forms – fresh or whole,
granulated and powdered.
Flavor affinities: Garlic pairs well with other aromatics like onions, shallots and chives.
In Asian cuisines it is commonly paired with ginger. I like to use garlic with citrus in many
of my marinades. It also pairs well with chilies, tomatoes, avocados and most proteins.
Cooking oils are flavored with garlic as well.
Fresh Garlic - When using fresh whole garlic cloves, you want to select a “set” of cloves
that is very firm with large cloves. You can determine this by rubbing off a few layers of
the exterior “paper” from the set and squeezing it. It should be nearly rock hard and not
fall apart. One thing to remember when using fresh cloves is the more your process it or
chop it, the stronger the garlic flavor. In some dishes where you only want a hint of
garlic, toss the whole un-chopped clove in the pot or pan. If you want a stronger
contribution of garlic flavor, mince the garlic to release all the juices in the clove(s). The
more you masticate the garlic the stronger the flavor.
I used the word “fresh” in the paragraph above. By “fresh,” I do not mean buying those
buckets of peeled cloves from Costco, or those small jars of pre-chopped garlic you can
find in the produce section of most grocery stores. Neither is fresh, especially the
chopped stuff as it often has a metallic off-taste from the preservatives manufacturers
add to it. Some argue that putting garlic through a press will adversely affect its flavor
compared to mincing with a knife, though I have not proved this out yet.
If you want to soften the flavor of garlic, you can easily roast it in aluminum foil. Simply,
peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual
cloves intact. Using a knife, slice off 1/4 to 3/8 inch of the top of the cloves (not the root
end of the plant), exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Coat with olive oil or canola
oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 350 F until soft, or for about 35 minutes. Another
way to soften the flavor is to sauté it for a few minutes. This drives off some of the
sulfurs, rendering a more subdued and less harsh flavor. My parents use roasted garlic
on their bagels instead of butter. Warning: Garlic has a lot of natural sugars, which is
why it is so sticky after being minced. These sugars will burn very quickly if sautéed too
hot for too long. Once burned, there is NO recovery. Clean out the pan and start again.
To avoid this, if onions are used in the recipe, I add my minced garlic to the pan just at
the end of sautéing my onions. The moisture released from the onions keeps the pan
from getting too hot and burning the garlic.
Granulated Garlic - Granulated garlic is simply dehydrated and ground up garlic, and
can be used as a quick substitute for fresh garlic. There are three nice features of garlic
in its granulated form: it still tastes like garlic, it can handle higher temperatures than
fresh garlic and it pours or sprinkles nicely compared to garlic powder (which usually
comes out of a shaker in little clumps). I use granulated garlic in many marinades and
dry rubs. When using it, remember it is a dehydrated product and has a lot of flavor
when rehydrated. When purchased in bulk, it can be actually cheaper than fresh garlic.
Garlic Powder - Remember, garlic powder has a different taste from fresh garlic, so I
don’t use it very much other than in dry rubs if I am out of the granulated form. If used as
a substitute for fresh garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder is roughly equivalent to one
clove of garlic, but don’t expect the flavor to be the same. Another reason I do not like
using garlic powder is some manufacturers add flour as an anti-caking agent or to thin
the product, which of course is not necessary, but is a severe health risk for those with
Celiac Disease. If you can go “fresh,” do so, otherwise grab the granulated form.
Garlic also is purported to keep vampires away. I guess this is true because there is no
documentation of anyone wearing garlic around his or her neck being attacked. Lastly,
another application for garlic is to cut short those late afternoon meetings with your
boss. Simply grab a couple cloves, munch on them for a minute or two and presto - a 3
minute meeting! However, don’t expect an evening of romance that same night … and
maybe the next.
Until next week, stay well, healthy and do something nice for someone who does not
expect it. You will enjoy the look on their face.
Blessings,
Chef David Hall
Thyme for a Chef
This week’s flavoring ingredient is garlic. Garlic is a bulb in the onion family. Its close
relatives include the onion, shallot, leek and chive. It has been used for both culinary
and medicinal purposes for thousands of years. With the exception of the single clove
types, the bulb also referred to as a “set” and is divided into numerous fleshy sections
called cloves. Cloves can be consumed raw or cooked and have a characteristic
pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens considerably when cooked. Almost
every cuisine in the world uses garlic in some form. In Korea, you will often find a small
bowl of garlic cloves on the table for something to nosh on, similar to chips and salsa in
Mexican restaurants. Garlic comes in several different forms – fresh or whole,
granulated and powdered.
Flavor affinities: Garlic pairs well with other aromatics like onions, shallots and chives.
In Asian cuisines it is commonly paired with ginger. I like to use garlic with citrus in many
of my marinades. It also pairs well with chilies, tomatoes, avocados and most proteins.
Cooking oils are flavored with garlic as well.
Fresh Garlic - When using fresh whole garlic cloves, you want to select a “set” of cloves
that is very firm with large cloves. You can determine this by rubbing off a few layers of
the exterior “paper” from the set and squeezing it. It should be nearly rock hard and not
fall apart. One thing to remember when using fresh cloves is the more your process it or
chop it, the stronger the garlic flavor. In some dishes where you only want a hint of
garlic, toss the whole un-chopped clove in the pot or pan. If you want a stronger
contribution of garlic flavor, mince the garlic to release all the juices in the clove(s). The
more you masticate the garlic the stronger the flavor.
I used the word “fresh” in the paragraph above. By “fresh,” I do not mean buying those
buckets of peeled cloves from Costco, or those small jars of pre-chopped garlic you can
find in the produce section of most grocery stores. Neither is fresh, especially the
chopped stuff as it often has a metallic off-taste from the preservatives manufacturers
add to it. Some argue that putting garlic through a press will adversely affect its flavor
compared to mincing with a knife, though I have not proved this out yet.
If you want to soften the flavor of garlic, you can easily roast it in aluminum foil. Simply,
peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual
cloves intact. Using a knife, slice off 1/4 to 3/8 inch of the top of the cloves (not the root
end of the plant), exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Coat with olive oil or canola
oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 350 F until soft, or for about 35 minutes. Another
way to soften the flavor is to sauté it for a few minutes. This drives off some of the
sulfurs, rendering a more subdued and less harsh flavor. My parents use roasted garlic
on their bagels instead of butter. Warning: Garlic has a lot of natural sugars, which is
why it is so sticky after being minced. These sugars will burn very quickly if sautéed too
hot for too long. Once burned, there is NO recovery. Clean out the pan and start again.
To avoid this, if onions are used in the recipe, I add my minced garlic to the pan just at
the end of sautéing my onions. The moisture released from the onions keeps the pan
from getting too hot and burning the garlic.
Granulated Garlic - Granulated garlic is simply dehydrated and ground up garlic, and
can be used as a quick substitute for fresh garlic. There are three nice features of garlic
in its granulated form: it still tastes like garlic, it can handle higher temperatures than
fresh garlic and it pours or sprinkles nicely compared to garlic powder (which usually
comes out of a shaker in little clumps). I use granulated garlic in many marinades and
dry rubs. When using it, remember it is a dehydrated product and has a lot of flavor
when rehydrated. When purchased in bulk, it can be actually cheaper than fresh garlic.
Garlic Powder - Remember, garlic powder has a different taste from fresh garlic, so I
don’t use it very much other than in dry rubs if I am out of the granulated form. If used as
a substitute for fresh garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder is roughly equivalent to one
clove of garlic, but don’t expect the flavor to be the same. Another reason I do not like
using garlic powder is some manufacturers add flour as an anti-caking agent or to thin
the product, which of course is not necessary, but is a severe health risk for those with
Celiac Disease. If you can go “fresh,” do so, otherwise grab the granulated form.
Garlic also is purported to keep vampires away. I guess this is true because there is no
documentation of anyone wearing garlic around his or her neck being attacked. Lastly,
another application for garlic is to cut short those late afternoon meetings with your
boss. Simply grab a couple cloves, munch on them for a minute or two and presto - a 3
minute meeting! However, don’t expect an evening of romance that same night … and
maybe the next.
Until next week, stay well, healthy and do something nice for someone who does not
expect it. You will enjoy the look on their face.
Blessings,
Chef David Hall
Thyme for a Chef
Copyright 2010, Thyme for a Chef, LLC. All rights reserved.
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