Garlic and the Grocery Store

Garlic Head: This is the form that fresh garlic comes in. Each head usually contains about 10 cloves, which are each encased in its own parchment-like membrane.

• How to choose a head of garlic: Garlic should be solid and firm with tight cloves. Avoid buying if the garlic has sprouted or feels hollow or mushy.


• How to store garlic: Garlic is best stored in a cool dark space with air circulation, away from heat and light.


• How to roast garlic: Cut about ¼ to ½ inch off the top of a head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil and place in an oven for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, until garlic is soft (it should pop easily out of the membranes). Roasting garlic mellows out the flavor and allows it to spread like butter.

Garlic comes in many convenient forms these days.

Whole peeled garlic: This is great if you need a lot of garlic cloves at one time, such as in the classic chicken and 40 cloves recipe.
Minced garlic: A great convenient product to have on hand just in case your fresh garlic goes bad or if you are stuck without fresh. Minced garlic should be kept in the refrigerator.
Garlic juice: This works well if you do not want little chunks of garlic in your food item. It usually comes in a spray bottle, which adds another element of convenience as you can easily spray it on vegetables or pasta to add flavor with out fat or sodium.
Garlic powder: This is also a great seasoning and works especially well in marinades because it disperses well in liquid.

Garlic equivalents

1 head = 10 cloves

1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped = ½ teaspoon minced = 1/8 teaspoon powder = ¼ teaspoon garlic juice