Garlic: tips and tricks
Fresh garlic needs to be stored properly to last.
Check out mom's tricks on how to keep them without having to buy special containers.
Italians love garlic. I am pretty sure we sweat it out in our pores. So it makes sense that Italians oftentimes purchase garlic in bulk. Now, I know we use garlic in almost every dish but most times garlic will last in the house longer than a day.
Garlic can be finicky, it can grow little arms and walk away. Ok, it doesn’t really grow arms and walks away but it grows, loses taste, and your house gains a new odor. It is very important to keep your garlic fresh, you never know when you will want some garlic bread or throw together a delicious dish of pasta with a bit of garlic. Before I went and bought some fancy contraption for garlic, I asked my mom what she did with hers.
Here are mom’s tips! There are two different ways to keep garlic fresh.
In the fridge - We place the heads of garlic, loosely in a container in the fridge. I keep the cover off my container so that moisture doesn’t build up and fresh air is constantly going over it all. If I happen to peel a head or two of garlic and do not use it all at once, I have an old plastic container that was for relish, I’m not sure you needed to know that but I digress. I cleaned and dried it thoroughly and drilled holes all around it. I place the peeled cloves of garlic in the container, placed the cover on, and put it in the fridge. I like this trick because as I needed garlic, I had some already peeled making it quicker to get going with cooking. It saves so much time when it’s dinner time as sometimes I end up not peeling enough before cooking so I have to scramble to peel extra garlic quickly.
On the counter - If leaving garlic on the counter, it is best to leave the head of garlic unpeeled. If the head of garlic is broken apart, be sure to not peel the cloves. For storing, it is the same as for the fridge. Take an old plastic container with a lid and drills holes all around it. Place the garlic, unpeeled into the container then place the cover and place it in a cool section on your counter, away from sunlight. The holes help the garlic get fresh air and prevent moisture to build up. Keeping it on the counter, away from sunlight helps the garlic keep a consistent temperature and not roast in the sun, thus ruining your garlic - ain’t nobody got time for that!
I have been following these tricks for years and it works perfectly for me! Sometimes all you have to do is think outside purchasing more products and how can you better utilize what you already have. I hope you enjoyed this trick and if you give it a try yourself, let me know!
As always,