Make it last with these tips and tricks.
Garlic is a common ingredient in most kitchens. You can use it to enhance the flavor of meat, veggies, and even rice. In addition, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a person who won’t eat a slice of garlic cheese bread. If you have any garlic cloves left over, making an all-purpose sauce like garlic aioli is a simple and quick solution. Garlic is frequently used, so it’s important to know how to preserve it properly.
To extract the most taste from your garlic, whether it’s a whole head or a bunch of peeled cloves, make sure you store it properly (and in order to avoid those bitter green sprouts). You can use garlic in dishes like Ree Drummond’s spaghetti with tomato cream sauce or her pan-roasted chicken thighs if you know how to keep it fresh. Try the Merc’s garlic-parmesan fries, too! Garlic can be stored in a variety of ways.
Choosing the Finest Garlic for Long-Term Storage
When it comes to garlic, there are a few things to keep an eye out for, whether you’re growing it yourself or purchasing it from a grocery or farmers market. Avoiding these will help you keep your garlic fresher for longer:
- Soft Bulbs
- Sprouting Bulbs
- Damaged cloves and bulbs
As a buyer, you’re looking for garlic that is firm and fresh, with papery skin on the outside. Soft bulbs indicate that they’ve gone bad and won’t last long in the refrigerator. Buying garlic that has been refrigerated is also a no-no. Because there are so many varieties of garlic, you don’t have to be concerned about how to store them.
It’s important to pick healthy-looking bulbs from your garden if you’re going to use them.
Curing Garlic Before Storage
The garlic must be cured before it can be stored correctly after harvesting. Curing ensures that all of the leftover energy is directed toward your garlic bulbs, which is important because that’s what we produce garlic for.
Preparation: Before curing garlic
- Remove dirt from the root system.
- Avoid scuffing or damaging the bulbs.
- Do not remove any of the roots or leaves.
Curing garlic is as simple as tying it on a string in 3-6 plant bundles. At least 80°F (27°C) is the best temperature to place the strings in a location with good air circulation.
Give your garlic two weeks to cure. When the skin is dry and papery, just like the garlic you buy at the supermarket or farmers’ market, you know it has finished curing.
How to Keep a Garlic Head Fresh
Putting an unpeeled head of garlic in the refrigerator will cause it to sprout within a few days. Storage should be done in a cool (60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit) and well-ventilated area with good airflow. Garlic should never be stored in an airtight container to avoid spoilage. Plastic bags, on the other hand, are a no-no because they trap moisture, which accelerates the rot of garlic. Instead of using plastic bags, use mesh bags or paper wrappers. Garlic may keep for up to six months in a cool, dry place.
How to Keep Garlic Cloves Unpeeled Safely
The shelf life of garlic begins to deteriorate as soon as you break it open. Unpeeled garlic cloves can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, depending on the quality of the garlic. Unpeeled garlic cloves should be stored in the same manner as an unpeeled garlic head.
Storing Garlic Cloves That Have Been Peeled
Keep Peeled Garlic Fresh Long Term
Garlic cloves, after peeled, should be used as soon as possible or kept in the refrigerator for no more than a week. Put them in an airtight food storage container to keep the garlic odor from spreading throughout your fridge! You can also add more minced garlic to the mix.
The outer skins of garlic play a significant role in providing protection to the bulb. The interior skins of garlic are significantly thinner than the outer skins, thus they won’t be able to protect the rest of the head. Garlic needs to be used up quickly once a clove (or several; who only uses one?) is removed from the bulb. Remove the garlic cloves from their skins and cut them finely. Refrigerate for up to two weeks in a small container (to decrease the amount of damp air).
Alternatively, you can dredge it in olive oil, but you’ll need to use it within a few weeks. If you like, you can pickle or dehydrate it, as well. Those garlic cloves will last a long time if you store them in this way.
You may buy jars of minced garlic in oil at the supermarket. Even if it should be consumed within an acceptable time frame, the acidity of this solution makes it particularly hazardous. Make careful you read the label on the jars to see how long they should be used for. As a result, this fresh garlic poses no risk of botulism.
Can garlic be stored in the refrigerator?
When stored in a crisper drawer, it can be kept fresh. However, this is not the best method of storing it. Fresh garlic can quickly mildew in cold, wet conditions, making it even more susceptible to spoilage. In a strange manner, the cold also causes garlic to sprout.
There is a type of hibernating state when it’s cold and then springtime comes around again when the weather warms up. As a result, it germinates in a matter of days.
