653989 Mon Sep 21 16:38:12 -0700 2009 66 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5047382 I love garlic and cook with it every week or so. I found that often fresh garlic that I would buy would end up getting soft, sprouting etc., so with some reluctance on a night when I felt like an easy solution I bought the refrigerated chopped garlic in a jar to see what kind of results I would get. To my surprise, it seemed to work well enough, and on the lid of the jar was instruction about what amount to use vs. a fresh clove in a recipe. In general I am still a fresh ingredients purist, and I will buy fresh garlic in the future, but this worked well for me, and I may very well buy it again. I was wondering what other Chowhounders experience with jarred garlic was? Mon Sep 21 16:38:12 -0700 2009 124208 SamuelAt 1 5047419 YOu don't cook often enough for your fresh stuff to last, so you are wasting. If you like the results of the jarred, USE it! You are eating it, no one else is judging it. You might look to doing your own "jarred". I have saved jars that have good rubber looking gaskets tops, to reuse for my own stuff to keep in the frig. I have taken a Sat. afternoon to roast a bunch of garlic head in the oven with great olive oil. Then I saved it all in a jar in my frig. lasted well and sometime I just used the oil. Mon Sep 21 16:53:26 -0700 2009 5047382 61669 Quine 1 5047488 I have never found a jarred garlic that I liked. I have minced my own (both fresh and roasted) then flattened them in zip lock bags and froze them. I can easily take a "chunk" off to use if I run out of fresh. I think frozen has a better flavor than jarred. Mon Sep 21 17:21:34 -0700 2009 5047382 1110504 sedimental 2 5047499 Interesting! I have never saved and frozen garlic. To be honest, I know myself; Instead of freezing and re-using I would probably just go out and buy fresh, but that is a great idea. The brand I have is Roland, and it has good flavor. Mon Sep 21 17:25:26 -0700 2009 5047488 124208 SamuelAt 3 5047521 It works really well. I freeze alot though. I like to buy different kinds of garlic at the peak of the season, then freeze some. It avoids the gross little shriveled bulbs available in the stores at times. Mon Sep 21 17:35:29 -0700 2009 5047499 1110504 sedimental 3 5047647 I've used the Roland brand before, but I prefer the larger container that a friend bought me from Costco. Just make sure not to get the top layer of garlic 'dry'- as in don't pour off too much liquid. It worked fine for me, and if I needed to roast a head of garlic, I went and bought one and used it right away. Now I use lots more garlic and buy it fresh. But... at the time I used the jarred stuff and it was great. Mon Sep 21 18:26:08 -0700 2009 5047499 217807 cheesecake17 2 5061609 I only like the Christopher Ranch jarred Garlic. Most of the other brands( they use Chinese garlic) suck. Sun Sep 27 08:43:06 -0700 2009 5047488 190009 Calipoutine 3 5160302 Can you describe some of the different types of garlic and which is preferable? Fri Nov 06 04:51:26 -0800 2009 5061609 150094 ChristinaMason 1 5047524 I use more garlic now BECAUSE it is in a jar and all minced already, just keep it cold and it will last. Mon Sep 21 17:35:43 -0700 2009 5047382 1110784 ray4a 1 5047542 I found a big jar at Costco for about $4.00, will save me a bunch of time making Paella and other big cooks. Mon Sep 21 17:39:56 -0700 2009 5047382 148886 duck833 1 5047547 I use both. Some times I just do not have fresh on hand. The jarred is easy to keep on hand and use. I see nothing wrong with using some things like this. It is garlic, not some fake, flavored, chemical composition. Fresh is great, but jarred fills a need, too. Mon Sep 21 17:41:46 -0700 2009 5047382 249405 elfcook 1 5047655 I'm sorry, but jarred garlic is awful. Fresh garlic is really cheap, so microplaning a bit into a dish is quick and easy. Mon Sep 21 18:29:37 -0700 2009 5047382 11995 pikawicca 2 5075297 I am soooo with you on this. Makes me gag thinking about it. Fri Oct 02 14:39:16 -0700 2009 5047655 24925 chow_gal 1 5047668 I've never tried jarred garlic so I won't poo-poo it but you don't say how long you had the fresh garlic before it spoiled or how you stored your fresh garlic. I grew hardneck garlic this year and harvested the heads in early-mid July. The few bulbs that remain are still in perfect condition, none sprouting or rotting. I stored the garlic in my laundry room which is the coldest part of the house in a bag. I did NOT put the garlic in the refrigerator crisper. NOTE that hardneck garlic will not keep as long as softneck garlic, so if I had grown softneck I could probably had kept those heads for many months more! Mon Sep 21 18:34:07 -0700 2009 5047382 246522 HokieAnnie 1 5047810 In my opinion, jarred garlic is a little less good than fresh and lot better than dried garlic powder. And garlic is so good, and good for you...why not make it easy to use a lot of it? Go for it! You can also peel fresh and preserve in oil in a jar in the fridge. Chopped or whole cloves. Then you can also just use the oil sometimes! Mon Sep 21 19:38:04 -0700 2009 5047382 123480 scuzzo 2 5071258 >>> You can also peel fresh and preserve in oil in a jar in the fridge. Chopped or whole cloves. Then you can also just use the oil sometimes! <<< WARNING!!!!! This is NOT a good idea! Go to http://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/pickle.htm. Scroll down to "Storing Garlic in Oil - Warning! - Not Safe." "When raw garlic is stored in oil, Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow. These mixtures must be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth. After 3 weeks of refrigeration, the increased number of bacteria will become a food safety hazard. Therefore, these mixtures should not be refrigerated longer than 3 weeks. " Wed Sep 30 21:42:38 -0700 2009 5047810 226942 al b. darned 1 5047824 I have not tried the jarred garlic, but I have been potentially turned off to it by a local pizzeria. I had asked for garlic on the pizza, and instead of fresh chopped, they dumped a handful of jarred garlic chunks on it, and you could tell! I think there may be something having to do with the aromatics or other chemical constituents released when garlic is freshly cut that get dissipated when the garlic is not used right away. A certain flavor "sting," if you will. I'm not a food scientist here, but it's a hunch. Of course, with long cooking, maybe it doesn't matter that much. Mon Sep 21 19:46:29 -0700 2009 5047382 124191 comestible 2 5048110 It's very true that jarred garlic loses it's sting! That's a great way to put it. But I don't think it's weird at all. It's got a bit of sweetness like what roasted garlic has...but subtle. Mon Sep 21 22:43:11 -0700 2009 5047824 123480 scuzzo 1 5048061 SamuelAt, it might be an OK ingredient in some applications, but it bears very little resemblance to freshly-chopped garlic. It has preservatives and sometimes vinegar added, and the flavor is just incredibly different. Fresh garlic is hot, acrid and incredibly (wonderfully) stinky. The minced in the jar is so mild by comparison. The "jarred" pre-peeled cloves like restaurants use are a lot better -- but sounds like you don't go through enough of the stuff to make this even a remote possibility. I'd rather throw out 80 cents' worth of the fresh to avoid the weird flavor of the pre-minced stuff. Mon Sep 21 21:49:40 -0700 2009 5047382 130151 dmd_kc 1 5050696 I've tried jarred garlic and it tastes bland compared to the real thing. I like the convenience though. So my compromise is to mince a whole bunch of garlic myself, maybe 3-4 heads, put in a jar and cover it with oil. The oil protects the garlic from oxidation, plus the garlic flavored oil is great for garlic bread, salad dressing, etc. etc. I find that it keeps for weeks and the garlic tastes just as fresh as if I minced it on the same day. Without the oil, the garlic goes flat much more quickly. Tue Sep 22 18:02:39 -0700 2009 5047382 46140 ctl98 2 5050789 You are setting yourself up for botulism poisoning. This is a totally unsafe practice. Please do some research so that you can make your kitchen a safer place. Tue Sep 22 18:38:54 -0700 2009 5050696 11995 pikawicca 3 5050793 I think the idea of keeping food "under oil" is only good for a couple of days, I agree. The old Italian ladies in my family used to add vinegar to their garlic, peppers, etc, but as you know, oil and water don't mix, so it's not really helping matters after the mixture separates. Tue Sep 22 18:41:33 -0700 2009 5050789 87837 RGC1982 3 5056178 pikawicca, that's what I thought too, after reading all these responses in here about keeping garlic in oil. I was under the impression that was a no no for any amount of time, same goes for home-made flavored oils with the "stuff" still in there. Thu Sep 24 15:09:46 -0700 2009 5050789 153184 im_nomad 3 5059153 Eeeek, I forgot to mention that I keep this jar in the freezer. The oil doesn't freeze but does get very viscous. Thanks for bringing this up. Yup, room temp is definitely a no-no and even fridge is only ok for a few days. But freezing temps prevent the botulinum from mutliplying. Fri Sep 25 19:00:36 -0700 2009 5050789 46140 ctl98 4 5064411 Now that's an interesting tip to try. Do you use any specific oils to prevent the mixture from freezing into a solid block, to make it easier for using? I thought olive oil sets to a solid block even in the fridge, for example. Mon Sep 28 11:50:57 -0700 2009 5059153 18015 tarteaucitron 5 5065066 I use plain canola or grapeseed oil and it becomes very thick but not solid. Mon Sep 28 15:37:46 -0700 2009 5064411 46140 ctl98 4 5072372 Me too AND I am very OCD about cleaning and washing the garlic well before I do anything to it like mince or press or whatever. Plus, I only use this kind of garlic in cooked recipies. The heat of sauteing garlic, cooking in a sauce or soup, or other typical cooking application will solve the bacteria problem. Botulisim is caused by a toxin produced by an anerobic (Low/no oxygen) spore. Botulism is most often a problem in improperly canned foods, both commerical and home canned. There was a weird incident a long while back involving grilled, sauteed onions, but those kinds of things are very rare. The freezer should halt the growth of the spore and the production of the toxin but once the toxin is produced, there isn't anything that will practically, remove it. So yes, it should be perfectly safe to use garlic cleaned and stored in oil or minced and either style stored in the freezer. Especially if you will be cooking it later. Your risk of food poisoning or botulism is no greater than for the fruit or vegetables you harvest from your garden or get at the farmer[s market, wash, and/or blanch and freeze. Blanching helps reduce surface bacteria and helps in color preservation and stop some types of enzymatic decay, so I guess you could apply that to garlic, if you want to, but I don't think it would have any noticible benefit since, it's a root/bulb anyway and long term storage is what bulbs are built for. If I could just use the garlic I buy at the store before it sprouts, I would but it always seems to spoil before I can get it all used. So why does my garlic sprout? I'm keeping it in a cool dark pantry well away from fruits, and other vegetables besides the onions. I've been looking into the tubes of garlic paste i see along side the tubes of basil as an option. Anyone have experience with that? Thu Oct 01 10:15:30 -0700 2009 5059153 1092553 aggiecat 5 5075390 Cleaning garlic will NOT kill/get rid of botulinum spores, nor will cooking. Fri Oct 02 15:38:40 -0700 2009 5072372 11995 pikawicca 1 5050730 Jarred garlic works well for most applications; however, you can take fresh garlic (whole or chop it) and put it into a jar with olive oil; keep refrigerated until needed & it lasts a long time. Also, there are many kinds of garlic products by different manufacturer's so I would use my own judgement and not just shun it because someone else said they didn't like it. Tue Sep 22 18:14:48 -0700 2009 5047382 1108638 Cherylptw 2 5050882 Agree Cheryl. I have found it pretty serviceable in most recipes. I don't know if I would bother to jar my own like some of the recommendations above. I would probably just but a new garlic knot first. Tue Sep 22 19:17:52 -0700 2009 5050730 124208 SamuelAt 2 5075696 Again, please DO NOT store fresh garlic in olive oil. If you google "garlic in olive oil" you will find many links explaining that this carries a danger of botulism. Not worth the risk. Fri Oct 02 19:39:37 -0700 2009 5050730 10074 Caitlin McGrath 3 5084307 Yeah, I will just go fresh. Thanks for the advice. Tue Oct 06 19:21:57 -0700 2009 5075696 124208 SamuelAt 1 5051454 I keep a jar of Christopher Ranch minced garlic in water. I use it in the salads I take to lunch where I want a mild garlic flavor but don't want the sharpness of fresh garlic (or the breath effects). It has decent flavor and no aftertaste. However, for any other purpose I use fresh garlic (and lots of it :)). Wed Sep 23 05:44:21 -0700 2009 5047382 12622 Striver 1 5053004 Let's clear up some terminology here - You don't "love" garlic if you only cook with it once a week or so. You have an acquaintance with garlic. A real garlic lover knows any real recipe starts with the words "peel a head of garlic" and ends with "sprinkle with fried garlic chips to garnish". Those are the dessert recipes. The stuff in the jar is neither good or bad, it's just not the same as the real thing. I buy peeled garlic in 1/4 bags. It keeps for a week or two in the fridge and a microplane makes quick work of it, If I have a bunch to use up I throw it in the oven with a little olive oil mash it and toss in the freezer. The problem with the jars is they tend to live in fridges for months or years, ending up entirely flavorless. Wed Sep 23 13:31:53 -0700 2009 5047382 10784 Scrapironchef 2 5053058 I can't stand jarred garlic myself. The taste is so strong, or off-tasting. I would rather have my own fresh garlic, and have complete control over how the garlic will taste, rather than have it already cut, in oil, etc., and God knows what else they put in there. I always keep a couple of heads in a garlic cellar, and take out what I need. I've never been tempted to used jarred garlic. Wed Sep 23 13:46:49 -0700 2009 5053004 78611 aurora50 2 5058539 Whoa Scrapironchef! easy! I do love garlic, and use fresh as well. I just don't cook every meal with it. My terminology was correct! Fri Sep 25 13:20:44 -0700 2009 5053004 124208 SamuelAt 2 5064426 As an aside, most Chinese start with "whack a clove of garlic with the cleaver" to get rid of the skin and to allow for better release of the juices and easier mincing... Mon Sep 28 11:53:51 -0700 2009 5053004 18015 tarteaucitron 2 5065166 @ Scrapironchef: thank you for the chuckle of the day! I like the peeled fresh garlic product. For some reason I find it incredibly fresh and extreme on inexpensive. A delight to work with. Mon Sep 28 16:20:01 -0700 2009 5053004 277493 DallasDude 1 5053984 I prefer Trader Joe's brand of minced jarred garlic to the supermarket brands. There's less preservative taste. I also use garlic powder. I gave up on regularly buying fresh because of sprouting and because I often found it too sharp and harsh even after sauteeing - I do roast whole heads sometimes. Never thought about freezing roasted garlic and will try that. Wed Sep 23 19:52:15 -0700 2009 5047382 159317 greygarious 1 5054793 Not trying to start a war here, but I have worked in the restaurant industry for at least 20 years....because we don't have time to peel garlic for the quantity of food we cook, we order in garlic, peeled in gallon plastic jars (no water or oil). The ingredients on the label state: garlic. It does not list any additives which may or may not be in there BUT it can last at least a month maybe more (it never stays that long in our walk-in) so I stand by the refrigerating fresh garlic in oil (which one chef taught me) as I'm not dead yet.. Also you can cook with the oil. However, to each his/her own opinion..... Thu Sep 24 07:58:16 -0700 2009 5047382 1108638 Cherylptw 1 5055178 Growing up in a Korean family, my mom yelled at me when I brought garlic in a jar home one day as a teenager. They didn't mince their garlic fresh, but pre-chopped it and froze it. She made me try it side by side. There was no comparison. Her frozen chopped garlic was so much better than the jarred one. I haven't done the test with freshly chopped garlic, but I imagine the fresh one to be superior. As I don't use garlic in copious amounts that my family did, I do chop my garlic fresh. I buy cloves of garlic, peel them all at once and stick it in a mason jar and vacuum seal it and chop it when I need it. It lasts for quite a long time that way. Thu Sep 24 09:51:09 -0700 2009 5047382 10763 Miss Needle 2 5074716 Food Saver brand of vacuum sealers advises NOT to vacuum seal garlic because it can become toxic. Fri Oct 02 10:20:32 -0700 2009 5055178 119807 Alfred G 3 5074750 Does it really? Under what conditions? Garlic in oil? Whole cloves? Minced? For how long? That serves me right for never reading instructions (and I've thrown them out already). Although I don't use garlic like my parents did, I go through about a bulb a week. I peel my garlic cloves once a week and generally use it by the end of the week. The longest I've ever kept garlic cloves is for 2 weeks. I've never had a problem. Fri Oct 02 10:30:05 -0700 2009 5074716 10763 Miss Needle 3 5074855 It's that whole, anerobic botulism thing. that's the purpose of the vacuum sealer, to remove the oxygen. Which is great for slowing and stoping bacteria, molds, and spoilage, but NOt good for a spore that does it's best work without oxygen. Fri Oct 02 11:17:52 -0700 2009 5074716 1092553 aggiecat 4 5074858 I see. Luckily, nothing has happened to me yet. But why chance it? I'll just stick my cloves in a jar sans vacuum. Thank you so much for your explanation! Fri Oct 02 11:21:56 -0700 2009 5074855 10763 Miss Needle 1 5056190 I use it. I also use jars of minced ginger the same way. It's handy for work-night suppers and soups and such. I know it's not as good as fresh, but it does in a pinch. I wouldn't use it in a dish where the garlic is meant to be the star. Thu Sep 24 15:14:37 -0700 2009 5047382 153184 im_nomad 1 5056263 I am a good Italian girl, and I had a good Italian gourmand of a godfather who cooked beautifully. He used jarred garlic in some situations. So do I. For recipes in which garlic is the main flavor, I use fresh garlic. I avoid garlic powder and garlic salt like the plague, because they just make things taste odd. There are dangers in trying to preserve garlic in oil, so be very careful; if you try it, make sure you investigate fully how to do so safely! Oh, and whoever had the problem with the pizza place dumping jarred garlic all over a pizza...good lord, I don't blame you for being turned off of the jarred stuff after THAT experience! Yuck! There are some situations in which fresh garlic is a must, and that's definitely one of them. Thu Sep 24 15:45:59 -0700 2009 5047382 1107449 tonina_mdc 1 5061620 I buy the big bottle of whole, peeled cloves (Christopher Ranch, I think?), and the mince them in the food processor, cover generously with olive oil, and store in the freezer. When I need garlic, I just scoop out what I need, and put the jar back in the freezer. I like the taste of the whole cloves better, but the convenience of the minced garlic can't be beat. so this is a good compromise. Those big bottles are about $5 at Sam's club. Sun Sep 27 08:46:55 -0700 2009 5047382 124908 jeanmarieok 1 5064642 personally, I don't use jarred garlic. I am fascinated by the term "granulated garlic" in lieu of garlic powder Mon Sep 28 13:07:26 -0700 2009 5047382 109905 laliz 2 5071262 http://www.finecooking.com/qa/difference-between-garlic-powder-granulated-garlic.aspx Wed Sep 30 21:47:17 -0700 2009 5064642 226942 al b. darned 2 5076047 Penzeys carries it--I don't use garlic powder but the granulated seems to lack the nasty chemical taste. Still, only in dry rubs or if I'm out of fresh garlic. Sat Oct 03 05:37:26 -0700 2009 5064642 109573 coney with everything 1 5071566 I use it all the time! got no problems with it. :) Thu Oct 01 05:32:38 -0700 2009 5047382 65780 jujuthomas 1 5071589 I used to always use the stuff in a jar... it works okay but fresh is much more aromatic, and not nearly as 'stinky' or difficult to work with as I'd always feared it would be. Thu Oct 01 05:45:32 -0700 2009 5047382 67657 Kajikit 1 5071879 My mom grinds her own garlic with plenty of salt and puts it in tiny containers in the freezer defrosting whatever she needs for the week only. It tastes really good. I don't care much for the supermarket diced garlic. Thu Oct 01 07:42:46 -0700 2009 5047382 108538 hala 2 5074860 Which might solve some of the problem bacuse you are changing the Ph of the garlic with the salt. So, this high salt, or high acidity charcteristic changes how you can or preserve foods, like pickles, fruits, jams, etc. Salt is a classic preservative, so in combination with the garlic it might be safer. I just can't remember if the botulinin spore likes or dislikes a salty environment. Most everything does not do well in a salty place so odds are good it would work. But I'd check. Which makes me wonder, if you stuck whole bulb of garlic in a tub o'salt, would that solve the sprouting problem? Hum.... Fri Oct 02 11:23:35 -0700 2009 5071879 1092553 aggiecat 1 5072335 I'm a fan of the frozen already minced garlic from Israel that I find in Trader Joe's and have seen in Harris Teeter too. Each frozen cube is equivalent to a clove of garlic. As an aside, a past mayor of my hometown nearly died from botulism that involved some garlic in oil, don't know if it was home-jarred or what, but he was out of action for a very long time. Thu Oct 01 10:03:32 -0700 2009 5047382 12752 MsDiPesto 2 5072452 Indeed, botulism poisoning is horribly painful and can easily turn deadly. I know convenient foods and spices are a big help, but when it comes to garlic and oil, one needs to be ultra-cautious. Thu Oct 01 10:41:52 -0700 2009 5072335 1107449 tonina_mdc 3 5075368 I make garlic confit where i simmer garlic cloves completely covered in olive oil for about an hour until they are really soft. I have always stored this in the fridge & just pulled out a clove or two when needed because they are sweet and delicious--like roasted garlic. Is this safe since I cook the garlic? Or is it not safe because the garlic is covered with oil & refrigerated? I buy huge bags of peeled cloves at the asian market for very little $$. Fri Oct 02 15:20:06 -0700 2009 5072452 1099702 sparkareno 4 5075673 I wish I knew what to tell you, but this isn't an area of expertise for me and the information on the web is contradictory. What you are doing sounds very chancy according to the recent warnings about garlic stored in oil and botulism. Making quantities that lead you to keep your mixture in the fridge for more than a week is probably a bad idea. Perhaps nothing would happen if you kept it around for several weeks or a few months. However, botulism poisoning is extremely serious and it seems foolhardy and capricious to ignore the possibility. Fri Oct 02 19:13:32 -0700 2009 5075368 1107449 tonina_mdc 5 5077421 I thought botulism developed in raw garlic. So it can develop in cooked garlic too? What about if you saute garlic and use it in a sauce & refrigerate the sauce---is that dangerous too? So is there no way to store roasted garlic or garlic confit that is safe? :(. I use raw garlic in my caesar dressing and will usually keep that in the fridge for a few days--dangerous? I am genuinely concerned about food safety but am confused. Sat Oct 03 20:58:59 -0700 2009 5075673 1099702 sparkareno 1 5077533 I don't mind the jarred garlic in very small doses. I also have to be careful to drain off all the liquid. The first time I made hummus, I wondered why it tasted so much like plastic. It was the liquid from the jarred garlic. Lesson learned, I'd rather peel. Sat Oct 03 22:45:49 -0700 2009 5047382 258252 Azizeh 1 5079940 Ok, We need a definative answer; here it is from the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service: "Botulism can be prevented. Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn. However, outbreaks of botulism from more unusual sources such as chopped garlic in oil, chile peppers, tomatoes, carrot juice, improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, and home-canned or fermented fish. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods. Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated. Potatoes which have been baked while wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served or refrigerated. Because the botulism toxin is destroyed by high temperatures, persons who eat home-canned foods should consider boiling the food for 10 minutes before eating it to ensure safety. Instructions on safe home canning can be obtained from county extension services or from the US Department of Agriculture. Because honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum and this has been a source of infection for infants, children less than 12 months old should not be fed honey. Honey is safe for persons 1 year of age and older. Wound botulism can be prevented by promptly seeking medical care for infected wounds and by not using injectable street drugs." Check out their website for additional information: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/botulism_gi.html If you fall into one of the high risk groups then you should decide what is risky and what isn't. The New Zealand Food safety authority has a wonderful chart that spells out who falls into what groups and why, children, pregnamnt women, the elderly and the immune compromised. http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/low-immunity-child-pregnancy/ Be informed. Make rational choices. Mon Oct 05 09:15:07 -0700 2009 5047382 1092553 aggiecat 2 5084308 The benefits are too small for Botulism. But if I may, I would like to point out to all the posters the OP is about pre-packaged, SAFE garlic. The discussion is a foodie one, not and FDA one. Tue Oct 06 19:24:48 -0700 2009 5079940 124208 SamuelAt 1 5100537 Just like I said, nothing wrong with garlic in oil, hell, they sell it in the grocery store...Although I realize everyone have their own opinions & habits, not everyone knows the right way to do things regardless of what they are used to doing, so my advice is get your info from the EXPERTS Tue Oct 13 14:00:26 -0700 2009 5047382 1108638 Cherylptw 1 5101460 I use a bit of both. Jarred for when I'm just too tired after work and want as much flavor for as little effort possible. Fresh the rest of the time, because little smells better than fresh crushed garlic. Tue Oct 13 20:53:00 -0700 2009 5047382 285186 Popkin 2 5102524 My husband cooks with garlic every day. We usually buy a fresh head every 10 days or so - if you use it fast enough, there's no worry about sprouting, etc. Jarred garlic has a weird taste so we don't use it. Wed Oct 14 10:01:21 -0700 2009 5101460 99966 theminx 3 5160383 Amen, Ms Minx! Last weekend we found a jar of unopened garlic in my deceased MIL's pantry. Fresh garlic is sooo easy to use fresh, just press on the clove, to break the skin loose, peel, hold in hand and dice into the pan. We took the big jar out to our compost bin, opened it and dumped it in. My wife said, "What a smell!", but it didn't smell of garlic. It, may, however, keep the coons out of our compost bin! Fri Nov 06 05:49:02 -0800 2009 5102524 93538 Passadumkeg