Crushed garlic as a substitute for minced garlic
ATG is me
Crushing garlic is a lot easier than mincing it. Can crushed garlic be
substituted for minced in most cases? When should this substitution not
be made?
Stan Horwitz
ATG is me (atg...@aol.com) wrote:
: Crushing garlic is a lot easier than mincing it. Can crushed garlic be
: substituted for minced in most cases? When should this substitution not
: be made?
Where cooking is concerned, only your taste buds (and those of your dining
companions) are what matters most. Try substituting crushed garlic for
minced in any recipe you want. When the dish is served, decide for
yourself if you enjoy a recipe that way. The only way to know this is to
experiment. Either way, you'll get plenty of garlic flavor in your dish,
but of course, with crushed garlic, you'll end up with larger pieces of
garlic than with minced. If you don't mind the large pieces of garlic in
your mouth, use crushed garlic, otherwise, don't.
I to use crushed garlic almost exclusively simply because I don't like
preparing minced garlic (and I don't want yet another kitchen gadget that
minces garlic). I enjoy the taste of garlic in lots of recipes regardless
of whether the garlic is minced, chopped, or crushed, but your tastes
might be different.
--
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Scott Shelley
r
>>Crushing garlic is a lot easier than mincing it. Can crushed garlic be
>>substituted for minced in most cases? When should this substitution not
>>be made?
hey, just buy a garlic press. they are pretty cheap and this will
solve your worries.
this way the garlic is in small pieces for salad dressing, and i find
it better to use garlic that has been pressed in all my dishes since i
find the flavour comes out more then if it had been finely chopped.
another advantage is that you fingers don't smell of garlic for the
next day.
Teresa
Carolina Rodriguez
In article <54mf82$t...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
ATG is me <atg...@aol.com> wrote:
>Crushing garlic is a lot easier than mincing it. Can crushed garlic be
>substituted for minced in most cases? When should this substitution not
>be made?
When, like me, you happen to be too greedy and want soooo much garlic that
you end up breaking garlic presses. I have a Cuisinart Mini-Prep and use
it almost exclusively for mincing garlic to my satisfaction.
-Carolina
Christine
In article <54mf82$t...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
atg...@aol.com (ATG is me) writes:
> Crushing garlic is a lot easier than mincing it. Can crushed garlic be
> substituted for minced in most cases? When should this substitution not
> be made?
If by crushed garlic, you mean putting it through a garlic press, then
I would say you can usually substitute. Sometimes I will opt to hand
mince garlic if I want slightly larger pieces. For instance, if I am
afraid that pressed garlic will brown too quickly in a particular
recipe, I'll hand chop it.
Sometimes I think that crushed (through a garlic press) garlic may not
achieve quite the flavor that hand minced garlic does when sauteed.
That's because I think more juices are released when it is crushed, so
the pieces stew in their own water a bit and don't get as strong a
sauteed flavor as they would if they were put into the oil "dry". It
doesn't stop me from substituting most of the time, though.
Christine
Gerell
Actually, I try NEVER to press my garlic, unless I'm in an absolute hurry.
When you press garlic, the juices are immediately released, and the
garlic is bruised.
When minced or chopped, the juices are released DURING the cooking
process, thereby resulting in a better balanced flavor.
Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
Larry Preuss
> Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
> fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
> stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
After doing this, rather than smelling your own fingers to check on its
efficacy, have someone else give their opinion.
--
Larry Preuss
Sandy
> Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
> fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
> stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
It's even faster if you just use the sink spigot itself.
--Sandy
Col. I.F. Khuntilanont-Philpott
Scott Shelley <she...@physics.utoronto.ca> wrote in article
<Dzt3y...@info.physics.utoronto.ca>...
> hey, just buy a garlic press. they are pretty cheap and this will
> solve your worries.
I once bought my wife one of those - I believe it is still in its original
shrink wrap somewhere in the house, if it wasn't thrown out a few moves
ago.
general method:
1 seperate garlic into individual cloves,
2 hit each with the flat of cleaver to loosen skin
3 discard skins
4 place a little salt on cutting board (optional)
5 chop garlic into salt with cleaver (my wife uses two at once, but I'm not
that good with a knife).
bottom line: it is easier to wash the cleavers and cutting board than clean
out them pesky little holes in a garlic press!
Ian P
Mary f(pud)
I clean the thing by just throwing into a glass of water (to soak)
and then just throw it in the dishwasher. BTW, I'm jealous of your
wife's talent with two cleavers :-). Wish I had the talent, then
maybe Bernie would do the dishes! :-)
--
Mary f. (hey...cut that out...these are jeans, not a tree trunk,
although, Bernie does call them sticks!)
_ _
( \ / )
|\ ) ) _,,,/ (,,_
/@ .-'`~ ~-. ;-;;,_
|,4- -,_. , ( `'-'
'-~~''(_/~~' `-'\_)
It's a widdle,widdle, widdle pud (hey, Simba, look mom is part
scratching post!! Keeeewwwwl!)
http://home.earthlink.net/~maryf
Richard Caley
Gerell wrote:
>
> Actually, I try NEVER to press my garlic, unless I'm in an absolute hurry.
> When you press garlic, the juices are immediately released, and the
> garlic is bruised.
Can anyone tell me what exactly it means for garlic to be `bruised'? Is
something really happening or is it just one of those cookery
superstitions?
> When minced or chopped, the juices are released DURING the cooking
> process, thereby resulting in a better balanced flavor.
Depends, surely, on how things are being cooked. If the garlic is going
into somethign which is only going to be cooked briefly, you may want
the essential oils out and into the cooking medium as quickly as
possible, on the other hand if it's going to slowly cook in a casserole
for ages and ages, then may as well drop the cloves in whole.
> Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers?
Make me feel hungry. :-)
(I've never been convinced that garlic presses save any time anyway, it
only takes a couple of seconds to mince and crush a couple of cloves
with a knife and longer than that to wash a fiddly press, not te
mention
that there are enough essential toys^H^H^H^H tools in my kitchen
already)
--
r...@lillith.demon.co.uk _O_
|<
Rick Marinelli
In article
<01bbc3c3$88e57a00$1c1b...@korat1.vu-korat.ac.th.vu-korat.ac.th>,
col...@korat1.vu-korat.ac.th says...
>bottom line: it is easier to wash the cleavers and cutting board than
>clean
>out them pesky little holes in a garlic press!
>
Disagree. Get a Zyliss with handy "hole cleaner outer" included.
--
Rick Marinelli
ri...@mnsinc.com
******************************************************************
* "Cooking is like love: it should be entered into with abandon *
* or not at all." *
******************************************************************
Shankar Bhattacharyya
In article <327315F6...@lillith.demon.co.uk>,
Richard Caley <r...@lillith.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Gerell wrote:
>> When minced or chopped, the juices are released DURING the cooking
>> process, thereby resulting in a better balanced flavor.
>Depends, surely, on how things are being cooked. If the garlic is going
>into somethign which is only going to be cooked briefly, you may want
>the essential oils out and into the cooking medium as quickly as
>possible, on the other hand if it's going to slowly cook in a casserole
>for ages and ages, then may as well drop the cloves in whole.
Well, there is a basis for a preference. Whether the basis is real or
imaginary - or, for that matter, complex - I do not know.
A good bit of the interesting flavour components in garlic is tied up,
in garlic, as a non-volatile, non-odourous compound. An enzyme called
allinase (I may be missing an 'i' in there) breaks this down to the
volatile compound that gives garlic its dominant flavour.
Chopping or slicing, on the one hand, as against crushing, on the
other, produce different effects in terms of bringing the enzyme and
the precursor together, since cell walls and such separate
concentrations of the substrate and the enzyme to some extent.
Cooking, of course, stops the enzyme by killing it entirely.
So it is not out of the question that there is some effect on the
final flavour. I have no opinion on whether it matters in real life
and, if it matters, just what the difference might be. I can
rationalize a pair of precisely opposite hypotheses, so it should be
obvious that I don't know exactly how the process varies.
It is worth noting, by the way, that if this is a real issue, it is
precisely equivalent to concerns about whether the garlic flavour gets
more intense over time, whether you chop or crush the garlic.
- Shankar
Jim Best
ger...@aol.com (Gerell) wrote:
>Actually, I try NEVER to press my garlic, unless I'm in an absolute hurry.
> When you press garlic, the juices are immediately released, and the
>garlic is bruised.
>
>When minced or chopped, the juices are released DURING the cooking
>process, thereby resulting in a better balanced flavor.
>
>Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
>fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
>stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Which is why you shouldn't use a metal garlic press.
---
Jim Best, Oxfordshire, UK.
j...@sharella.u-net.com
idlewild
On Sun, 27 Oct 1996, Jim Best wrote:
> ger...@aol.com (Gerell) wrote:
>
> >Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
> >fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
> >stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Which is why you shouldn't use a metal garlic press.
except that many garlic presses are made out of aluminum (i've seen
plastic, too).
-j.
___
Will cook for food.
sf
>Get a Zyliss with handy "hole cleaner outer" included.
I'm tired of the Zyliss schills touting this press as if it's the only garlic
press that can do the job and self clean.
Here are two other options to look for - both are Italian: Brevettato -
probably has the same finish as the Zyliss because the finish came off in the
dishwasher and it is also a dull gray now. The other is heavier and fancier AND
the finish has not worn off in the dishwasher. It's brand name is Pedrini.
I've had the Brevettato for at least 15 years with no problems what so ever and
the Pedrini for 5 - 10 years.
Now go out and buy something that isn't Zyliss - there are pleanty of other
brands to choose from.
Bobbie Best
Shankar Bhattacharyya wrote:
>
> In article <327315F6...@lillith.demon.co.uk>,
> Richard Caley <r...@lillith.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> >Gerell wrote:
> It is worth noting, by the way, that if this is a real issue, it is
> precisely equivalent to concerns about whether the garlic flavour gets
> more intense over time, whether you chop or crush the garlic.
>
> - Shankar
So without addressing the question, I add a question of my own.
If there is a difference in taste, have any of you considered or
tried a two step process. I'm thinking tomato sauce, dump half of the
garlic cloves in whole and at the last hour or so of simmering,
dump in the other half minced. You wouldn't add all the herbs at
the beginning, so how bout the garlic. I may have to give this
a shot.....I'm a mincer btw.
hugs,
bobbie(who simmers tomato sauce a long time but there are other dishes)
Shankar Bhattacharyya
>Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
>fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
>stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
So, does anyone have a technical source on that claimed reaction?
That's a question, not a challenge.
- Shankar
Mike & Lizette Sullivan
In article <54qqr7$f...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, ger...@aol.com says...
>
>Actually, I try NEVER to press my garlic, unless I'm in an absolute hurry.
> When you press garlic, the juices are immediately released, and the
>garlic is bruised.
>
>When minced or chopped, the juices are released DURING the cooking
>process, thereby resulting in a better balanced flavor.
>
you know, I've heard exactly the reverse argument as well. Most of my Thai
cookbooks call for the garlic to be crushed exactly because it releases the
oils...but then it usually calls for the garlic to be stir-fried. For making
soups, gumbos, or whatever...you may have a very good point.
Mike Sullivan
ml...@net-connect.net
Col. I.F. Khuntilanont-Philpott
I too beg to disagree.
No matter how clever a gadget is it still needs to be cleaned (and
sterilised) after use, and no matter how clever the garlic press is, it is
still an extra utensil to clean. You have to use your knives and cutting
board, so giving them an extra job to do doesn't increase the cleaning
load. using a <insert your favorite brand here> garlic press does increase
the load.
Ian P
Andy Williams
In article <3272a9d8...@news.u-net.com>, j...@sharella.u-net.com wrote:
> ger...@aol.com (Gerell) wrote:
> >stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
Andy Williams <Team OS/2>
andy...@esslink.com http://www.esslink.com/~andywlms/index.html
Nancy Dooley
In article <550niv$5...@styx.ios.com> sbha...@styx.ios.com (Shankar Bhattacharyya) writes:
>From: sbha...@styx.ios.com (Shankar Bhattacharyya)
>Subject: Re: Crushed garlic as a substitute for minced garlic
>Date: 27 Oct 1996 17:26:39 -0500
>In article <54qqr7$f...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, Gerell <ger...@aol.com> wrote:
>>Besides, what's wrong with garlic-smelling fingers? QUICK TIP: run your
>>fingers over the bowl of a tablespoon under cold running water. The
>>stainless steel chemically reacts with the garlic odor and neutralizes it!
>So, does anyone have a technical source on that claimed reaction?
>That's a question, not a challenge.
>- Shankar
No, but stainless steel "bars" (shaped like a bar of soap) are sold in kitchen
catalogs as a "cure" for onion and garlic odors and the like.
Nancy Dooley
"Celebrate our State." Iowa's Sesquicentennial year, 1846-1996.
Nona Myers
I bet if you rub your fingers on a stainless steel knife under running
water, you can rid garlic odor as well as using a spoon. I normally
like the smell of garlic on my fingers, but it becomes a problem if I
am making desserts after mincing garlic. It really does work to rid
garlic odor if you rub stainless steel spoon under running water for a
few moments. Also you can rub with salt and lemon juice and rinse in
water.
--
Nona Myers (aka Happy Happa)
Edward Conroy
Nona Myers (no...@best.com) wrote:
: I bet if you rub your fingers on a stainless steel knife under running
: --
--
If your kitchen sink is stainless steel, don't bother with a knife, a
spoon, or a "stainless steel bar" -- just rub your fingers against the
sides of the sink and rinse them off -- works just fine.
(or dip them in the jar of ginger and vodka and *lick* them off!)(for
those who might be puzzled by this last remark, see the "how to store
ginger" thread.)
SA
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (A/K/A Edward Conroy)
p008...@pbfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us
Edward Conroy
-korat.ac.th.vu-korat.ac.th>:
Organization: SEFLIN Free-Net - Palm Beach
Distribution:
I'm sorry, I can't remember the source but somewhere, sometime, by
someone, --I think that it was a Chinese chef de cuisine who cooked
in the "Polynesian" restaurant in the Marriott Chicago where I was
then working as a banquet chef-- (too many years! too many years!),
I was told that entirely different flavor intensities could be
achieved by varying the technique used to "prepare" the garlic.
1. Whole (peeled) garlic would produce the the *least*
pungent results;
2. Garlic *Carefully* *sliced* with a *sharp* knife by
*drawing* the knife across the garlic clove (as opposed
to *pressing* it through the clove) would be a *little*
more pungent;
3. While *crushing* the garlic, whether by smashing it with
a cleaver or through a garlic press, would produce the
*most* intense result.
This was before the current craze of *roasting* garlic, which seems
to produce the absolutely *mildest* garlic flavor. (BTW, Poaching
separated and *peeled* garlic cloves also produces a mild flavor --
not as good IMNSHO as roasted, but good nevertheless, and much less
trouble and time consuming -- 15-20 minutes vs 45-60 minutes roasted.)
Over many years, and trying all the listed techniques, I have come to the
conclusion that the intensity of the garlic flavor is in direct
proportion to how roughly it has been treated.
Perhaps Shankar or The Colonel can confirm/disaffirm this.
--