Storing Chopped Garlic
Monica McWilliams
Okay, now that we've <ahem> all gotten lazy and started buying those
little jars of pre-chopped garlic in the stores...... ;-}
Actually, I inherited a jar of the stuff when a friend moved and did
the old "what is this cr*p? You'll never catch me using this stuff! It
can't possibly taste fresh!"
Well, guess what? If you haven't tried it - the stuff's great. It
really does taste fresh, makes adding large (or small) amounts of
garlic totally simple, but there's a catch - it's way too expensive to
consider putting on my everyday shopping list.
Once upon a time I swore I saw/read something about making the
pre-chopped garlic up yourself. According to the jar it's got some
salt and some sort of preservative (anti-darkening agent) in it, so
it's more than just garlic in oil, in fact, this stuff wasn't even in
oil.
Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Can you share the
secret with us? Please?
Christine A. Owens
> Once upon a time I swore I saw/read something about making the
> pre-chopped garlic up yourself. According to the jar it's got some
> salt and some sort of preservative (anti-darkening agent) in it, so
> it's more than just garlic in oil, in fact, this stuff wasn't even in
> oil.
>
> Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Can you share the
> secret with us? Please?
You can do it in oil, or water. The secret to doing LOTS at once is to blanch the
garlic before you try to peel it. After the garlic is peeled and chopped (leaving 1/2"
head-space) either:
1. Cover with olive oil and refrigerate. This has the sidebar advantage of giving you
a ready supply of garlic oil for pasta, salad dressing, etc.
2. Add 1 t lemon juice per oz of jar space. Fill remainder of jar with water, and
refrigerate. This has the sidebar advantage of giving you a great garlic infusion for
sauces.
Actually, I do both, so that I can have BOTH garlic oil and garlic infusion.
Chris Owens
Ed
In article <5buftf$arb$1...@news0.bytes.net>, sun...@adcomp.com (Monica
McWilliams) wrote:
> Okay, now that we've <ahem> all gotten lazy and started buying those
> little jars of pre-chopped garlic in the stores...... ;-}
>
> Actually, I inherited a jar of the stuff when a friend moved and did
> the old "what is this cr*p? You'll never catch me using this stuff! It
> can't possibly taste fresh!"
>
> Well, guess what? If you haven't tried it - the stuff's great. It
> really does taste fresh, makes adding large (or small) amounts of
> garlic totally simple, but there's a catch - it's way too expensive to
> consider putting on my everyday shopping list.
>
> Once upon a time I swore I saw/read something about making the
> pre-chopped garlic up yourself. According to the jar it's got some
> salt and some sort of preservative (anti-darkening agent) in it, so
> it's more than just garlic in oil, in fact, this stuff wasn't even in
> oil.
>
> Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Can you share the
> secret with us? Please?
Sounds like you want to make it complicated. I just chop it up, put it in
canning jars (small pts) and put it in the freezer. When needed, just
chop out what you need.
sun...@cybcon.com
>Sounds like you want to make it complicated. I just chop it up, put it in
>canning jars (small pts) and put it in the freezer. When needed, just
>chop out what you need.
But what about the moisture that accumulates in everything you freeze?
Wouldn't that screw up the garlic? Make it stale, eventually?
Ray Clarke
perfectly fresh tasting and doesn't discolor. Simply chop the garlic
and pour olive oil over it. Make sure to get out the air bubbles. I
have read that there is a botulism potential, since it is a low acid
food in an anaerobic environment, but I've never had any problem. Of
course, I only use it for cooking (not raw), so the toxins may be
destroyed by the cooking. I'm still alive in any event. Ray
D.F.S.
For what is's worth... and not to sound like the commercial jerky spam...
I bought a bottle of minced garlic at one of the membership warehouse
stores, it seems to be between a pint and a quart in size.
It cost me $1.99 or 2.50 or something.
It has lasted me several years and is quite handy.
It tastes fine to me and was a lot cheaper than buying fresh.
I tried but can't seem to grow any decent sized bulbs in the garden.
Marc