Minced Garlic -- Is this stuff phony?

[Ken g6]

Peeling garlic isn't hard. It's the chopping that I don't like.

 

[Muse]

This might sound and look stupid - but for me it actually does help out when I need to peel 10-30 cloves depending on what I'm making:

Fantastic. I'm gonna buy that.

 

[Muse]

Peeling garlic isn't hard. It's the chopping that I don't like.

Like I said above, if it's a sauce you will boil/simmer, chopping isn't really necessary. The flavor leeches out of whole cloves. If not cooked in that way, i.e. raw, then you do have to chop or mince... or as suggested above, use a garlic press to save the trouble.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Peeling garlic isn't hard. It's the chopping that I don't like.

I watch a few cooking videos... For some reason it never looks to be as much of a PITA for anyone else. Minced garlic is incredibly sticky. Sticks to my chefs knife, so gotta wipe the knife off or end up with large pieces, then it sticks to my fingers and I have to wipe off my fingers. And back and forth, back and forth. Toss it all in the pan and it seems like 1/2 the oil remains on my cutting board, knife and fingers.

 

[sdifox]

Peeling garlic isn't hard. It's the chopping that I don't like.

 

[Humpy]

This might sound and look stupid - but for me it actually does help out when I need to peel 10-30 cloves depending on what I'm making:

That's one of the few stupid things my wife has brought home that isn't actually stupid.

I was impressed how well it worked.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Use fresh garlic. That stuff you get in a jar has no flavor.

 

[Muse]

I watch a few cooking videos... For some reason it never looks to be as much of a PITA for anyone else. Minced garlic is incredibly sticky. Sticks to my chefs knife, so gotta wipe the knife off or end up with large pieces, then it sticks to my fingers and I have to wipe off my fingers. And back and forth, back and forth. Toss it all in the pan and it seems like 1/2 the oil remains on my cutting board, knife and fingers.

To repeat a kitchen wisdom I heard:

Never brown garlic. You can brown onions, I do it all the time, but add your garlic after browning anything, i.e. late in the process.

Use fresh garlic. That stuff you get in a jar has no flavor.

Well, there seems to be a difference of opinion. The stuff I bought (see OP) was essentially flavorless, but maybe if packed in oil that isn't the case. Never having bought/tested/tasted that, I can't say.

Martin Yan is the mincing (and chopping) master. I learned a lot watching him. I haven't watched a ton of cooking videos, but his are the ones I would watch!!!

 

[sdifox]

To repeat a kitchen wisdom I heard:

Never brown garlic. You can brown onions, I do it all the time, but add your garlic after browning anything, i.e. late in the process.

Well, there seems to be a difference of opinion. The stuff I bought (see OP) was essentially flavorless, but maybe if packed in oil that isn't the case. Never having bought/tested/tasted that, I can't say.

Martin Yan is the mincing (and chopping) master. I learned a lot watching him. I haven't watched a ton of cooking videos, but his are the ones I would watch!!!

you can also add the garlic first to flavour the oil then take them out.
thing with martin yan's mincing and chopping is, that is standard Chinese cooking techniques
whacking things with Chinese cleaver is a bit of an art.

 

[Iron Woode]

i loved watching Martin Yan when I was a kid in the 1980's. His TV show Yan Can Cook was pretty awesome. I loved the way he said sesame seed oil.

 

[microAmp]

This might sound and look stupid - but for me it actually does help out when I need to peel 10-30 cloves depending on what I'm making:

Why spend money on a uni-tasker when you can use two items already in your kitchen.

 

[zinfamous]

never ever ever ever ever buy that pre-minced garlic shit. ever. It takes like 3 minutes to mince a head of fresh garlic, or do whatever else you need with that garlic if you have proper knife skills.

 

[Carson Dyle]

To repeat a kitchen wisdom I heard:

Never brown garlic. You can brown onions, I do it all the time, but add your garlic after browning anything, i.e. late in the process.

What the hell does that have to do with what you quoted?

 

[SMOGZINN]

Another time saver: A cookbook I got when I was in college had a recipe for rice that included a whole clove of garlic. No mincing! The flavor from that clove permeated the rice! The fact appears to be that it isn't necessary to mince the garlic for the flavor to permeate a sauce... especially my sauce, which I boiled down to almost 1/2 the original volume before canning. Even so, I chopped the garlic quite a bit that I put in it, but didn't bother mincing fine.

The secret to this is that the finer you chop the garlic the more garlic flavor you will get out of each clove. The other thing to consider is how big of chunks of garlic do you want in your finished dish. It might not be such a good idea if you end up with a bite of pasta that includes a full clove of garlic. The final dice of your garlic should be based on how you are using it. If you are just using it to flavor rice you can toss the entire clove in there unpeeled (the skin won't change the flavor), in sauces you are going to strain just crush it for some extra garlic flavor, for more chunky sauces you want to peel and chop it.

If you are using a garlic press there is no need to peel it first. The meat of the garlic will go through leaving the skin.

I watch a few cooking videos... For some reason it never looks to be as much of a PITA for anyone else. Minced garlic is incredibly sticky. Sticks to my chefs knife, so gotta wipe the knife off or end up with large pieces, then it sticks to my fingers and I have to wipe off my fingers. And back and forth, back and forth. Toss it all in the pan and it seems like 1/2 the oil remains on my cutting board, knife and fingers.

Use a sharp knife and put some oil on the blade of your knife to keep the garlic from sticking.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Obligatory Goodfellas scene...

 

[ImpulsE69]

That's how I do it, but I use a prison shiv. Gives you more leverage.

 

[SMOGZINN]

That's how I do it, but I use a prison shiv. Gives you more leverage.

Do you keep it in your prison wallet?

 

[ImpulsE69]

Do you keep it in your prison wallet?

where else would you keep it?

 

[Muse]

What the hell does that have to do with what you quoted?

You said: "Toss it all in the pan and it seems like 1/2 the oil remains on my cutting board, knife and fingers."

Just sayin' don't toss it into the pan before other things, that's all. It's a bit of an aside but since we are talking garlic I thought I'd toss this in the mix. "Never brown garlic."

 

[Muse]

i loved watching Martin Yan when I was a kid in the 1980's. His TV show Yan Can Cook was pretty awesome. I loved the way he said sesame seed oil.

I loved his show, I suppose some is on Youtube.

I always have sesame oil on hand.

 

[QueBert]

This might be the best, totally unnecessary $40 device I own, put a bulb of Garlic in it with a tablespoon of Olive Oil and 27 minutes later you have perfectly sauteed garlic. Then I use an OXO Garlic press and I have awesome sauce minced Garlic. I use to put it in foil in the oven, but it took a lot longer than this. Plus imho it looks pretty cool on your counter.

 

[mindless1]

Yes it's crap. Nothing compares to fresh garlic. The same is true for almost every *spice*.