Cooking With Garlic

 Garlic Scapes

Early in the season hardneck varieties send up edible flowering stalks called scapes. When they start to loop cut them back by 4 inches and use in stir-fries and salads.

In cities that have good farmer’s markets you may be able to buy garlic scapes early in the growing season - garlic scapes are harvested for eating when the flowers are in the bud stage. But most of us will have to grow them in order to enjoy them, which is a great reason to grow garlic.
 

Roasting Garlic

Roasting garlic is very simple, first you peel away the white, outer covering of the bulb, leaving the individual covering on each clove and leaving them attached to the root; then cut a little off the top of the cloves so that you can see down into each clove.


Then drizzle a little olive oil over the cloves, using your fingers to make sure they are properly coated and then cover the garlic with foil and place it on a baking sheet or in a muffin pan to bake; it will probably be just as effective if you wrap the garlic completely in foil and bake it inside the foil but this is not a critical issue so it is up to you to decide which is more convenient for you.


 The garlic should be baked for 30-35 minutes at 400°F or until the cloves are soft to the touch. After you remove them from the oven and have allowed them to cool so you can handle them without burning yourself, the garlic should be very soft and you can remove the cloves by squeezing the base of the bulb or by taking them out one at a time.
 

Progressive International Terra Cotta Garlic Roaster

by Progressive

  • Convenient way to roast garlic in an oven
  • 5 inch diameter; made from terra cotta
  • Features an easy grab handle and vented lid
  • Glazed interior for easy cleaning

 

 

 

 

Garlic Processing Tools And Storage

Usually when a recipe calls for garlic, it needs to be peeled and mashed into a paste.  This can be done with a heavy knife but many folks prefer to use a garlic press or a similar tool that will mash the garlic clove for them. 

Oxo SteeL Garlic Press, Stainless

by OXO

  • Durable zinc and stainless-steel construction
  • Large capacity garlic chamber
  • Built-in cleaner pushes out pulp
  • Comfortable, soft grips
  • Safe to use in dishwasher

Pick up this garlic press and you’ll instantly recognize its superior quality—it’s heavy and solid, yet beautifully balanced. An elegant combination of zinc and stainless steel with black cushioning insets on the handles add up to a work of art. Several cloves of garlic can be pressed at once; then, swing the handle around on the smooth-as-butter hinge and forty durable plastic teeth push out the pulpy residue. While dishwasher-safe, the press can also be quickly hand-cleaned with a soapy brush. You’ll never want another garlic crusher after using this one.

Nutmeg or Garlic Grater with Storage Compartment and Finger Guard

by Cuisinox

  • Handy storage compartment
  • Practical finger guard
  • Made from white ABS and stainless steel
  • Dishwasher safe

This sturdy nutmeg and garlic grater has a handy storage compartment and practical finger guard. Made from white ABS and stainless steel, it is safe to use and as well easy to clean.

 

 

Norpro 5-Inch Ceramic Garlic Keeper

by Norpro

  • Measures 5 inches/13cm tall
  • Glazed, kiln-fired ceramic construction
  • Provides ideal storage conditions for garlic bulbs, ginger, or shallots
  • Holds three to four heads of garlic
  • Hand washing recommended

There are a couple of really nice things going for this ceramic garlic keeper by Norpro: it's good-looking, yet restrained in its Old World ornamentation; and while it will never contain that entire Costco mesh bag of Gilroy, California's chief crop, it will provide optimal storage conditions for three or four larger heads of garlic (not including the jumbo-sized but deceptively mild elephant garlic). Firm, plump, heavy heads with unbroken, tight, papery skin deserve a dry, cool (but not refrigerated), well-ventilated 'hood, something this 5-inch-high garlic keeper provides with a touch of Italian élan. -

 

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