In a rush recently I resorted to bought crushed garlic - but what a mistake. It had a distinctly odd, chemical taste/smell when cooking and I won't ever use it again. That will teach me for being in a hurry.
Today as I chopped two entire bulbs of garlic, I wondered how I could keep any excess and how long for. Has anyone ever done this!Could it work packed in oil, and would it keep for a week or so!
roundtop,
Apr 21, 11:14pm
I peel my garlic whole and put in a jar of oil just a salad oil and put in the fridge it keeps well like that!
falcon-hell,
Apr 21, 11:16pm
i reckon that jarred stuff is hideous too,hubby cooks his steak in it-gross,i tell him don't bother coming near me tonight,lol.
davidt4,
Apr 21, 11:21pm
Garlic and onion start to oxidise as soon as they are cut or crushed.That is what gives the commercial crushed garlic the horrible smell and taste.
Whole garlic bulbs keep for a long time, so I don't see any need to pre-chop it.
245sam,
Apr 21, 11:47pm
I agree, absolutely, and my understanding is that keeping garlic in oil is not an entirely food-safe practice.:-))
dezzie,
Apr 21, 11:47pm
You used to be able to get crushed garlic in a tube, like a toothpaste tube, and it was fine, but yeah, the jarred stuff is "odd" I just buy a few whole bulbs at a time and leave them in the pantry cupboard.
norse_westie,
Apr 22, 2:58am
Ah, that is the smell then. I noticed it had stabilizer and preservative in it. I won't be buying it again.
Peeling the garlic is a two second job so I guess it doesn't save me any time by keeping it in oil. Its the chopping (and getting it off my hands - although I do have one of those stainless steel stones, which is quite good but not 100%)I was hoping to bypass on some occasions. We eat a LOT of garlic around here.
Thanks for the replies.
jag5,
Apr 22, 6:52pm
If I have surplus.I chop it and dehydrate it.
kay141,
Apr 22, 10:12pm
I saw garlic in tubes in the supermarket today. In the vege section along with tubes of chilli, etc. I don't know what they taste like though.
yasmin31,
Apr 22, 11:09pm
Peel the garlic & put it through the food processor with lots of salt. Freeze & use as you go. Need to put plenty of salt though as then you caneasily take out the frozen garlic.
sumstyle,
Apr 23, 12:07am
I asked for a garlic press for Christmas as I don't have good knife skills and find it difficult to chop finely.The press is great, so fast.
karenz,
Apr 23, 12:36am
I bought some Quality Cuisine crushed garlic from Davis Trading, it is fine, needs to be refrigerated, the ingredients on the label are 97% garlic, salt, lactic acid.I keep it for when I have run out of fresh garlic or when the cloves have gone off.
scarlettnz,
Apr 23, 12:41am
I never chop garlic - I peel it and grate it on a micro plane .Takes next to no time.
koru_designs,
Apr 23, 3:36am
I pickle my garlic & keep it in the fridge.for every 2 1/2C of apple cider vinegar, add 1T sugar & 1T salt (you can experiment with the flavours a bit for different results). Simply peel the garlic cloves, drop into a clean jar, top with the brine (no need to heat as you're not bottling the garlic) & keep for a couple of weeks before beginning to eat. Will keep for several months in the fridge.
The end result is a very mellow, yet flavourful garlic & all the bad breath component is quite reduced - so you can enjoy to the full :) I find this is a great way to store hard stem garlics that I can't plait. Note that it's really important your garlic doesn't come into contact with metal though or else it goes green. Mine takes on a yellow tinge over time as it pickles but it tastes amazing.just take out what you need for your recipes & use as normal.
To peel garlic, you can either soak the cloves in water to make taking the paper off easier or else crush slightly with the flat of a knife (although obviously, the end result is slightly crushed cloves.which is fine if you don't mind the damage).
norse_westie,
Apr 23, 4:35am
Awesome thanks people! I have a couple of things to try now. Will do the salt and freeze one for cooking and the pickled garlic for eating. Thank you for sharing. :)
rooty,
May 1, 9:37pm
i chop bulk lots of garlic with my tuppereware chopper.wich is also good for chopping up baby food.i then put it inot glas jar and keeps for weeks in fridge.a yumy idea is to add a dollop of the garlic to half cup of cream and boil til it thickens.yum over steak
ern2,
May 7, 11:05am
I mince all my (almost ready to sprout) peeled garlic and freeze it in plastic jars.This is a non-fail method which is like fresh when defrosted.
fifie,
May 7, 5:20pm
We grow a lot of garlic, and it keeps perfectly in whole cloves unpeeled in one of those string onion bags hanging in the pantry, use as required have no problem with it.
elliehen,
May 7, 5:47pm
Here's a link on how to plait garlic bulbs.if you plait garlic or string onions, you can hang them in a cool place and they'll last for months.Looks pretty too :)
I use this one too and it keeps well, good to have on hand for times when I run out of fresh.Much better than other brands I've tried,
vampiriousmist,
May 8, 12:53am
I used dried garlic myself :) Easy to put in with my herbs when I amdoing roasted kumara pieces :)
iman007,
May 8, 11:45pm
i have a mate that grows it, he gives it to me like the french all plaited together, looks real cool.I also buy frozen whole cloves,500 gm bag from memory about $15/
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