I just Googled Garlic

[Woodfireguy]

And got 72,700,000 results. I love it and wonder why anyone would use any thing other than fresh garlic. Powdered Garlic, Garlic Salt, Pre-peeled, Pre-crushed….Why?

[PeterL]

Well, we both work 8-9 hrs a day, commute time approx. 1 hr each day. Get home, flop on the sofa, think about cooking something. The fresh garlic we bought last Sunday has already gone bad. It's just easier to take some out of a bottle. Minus a daily fresh garlic delivery, I am sorry I just have to take an easier way out. That is why.

[magnolia]

Like many others I prefer fresh garlic and powdered garlic in some uses. My problem is buying garlic that doesn't have green sprouts. The garlic I see sliced on cooking shows never seems to have that green thing. How do you select fresh garlic?

[paulj]

Some pull out the green core, others use the whole clove, sprouted or not
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/366098

[onceadaylily]

Look for the whitest and firmest bulbs in the bin. But garlic is, like everything else, seasonal. I've only just in the past few weeks begun to see nice bulbs in my markets, after a few months of yellowed and shriveled product. As paulj pointed out with the link, some think sprouts themselves don't mean that one has to ditch the bulb. I use it even when sprouted, depending on the application (I wouldn't in a pesto, hummus, or similar). I read once that sprouts themselves are prized in some cultures, and used as a thing unto themselves. The peeled clove itself needs examination apart from the sprout. If the flesh is still very pale, meaty, and unblemished, then you should be okay. Discard if there are brown spots, or if the clove has a rubbery feel to it (more likely to be bitter).

[DoobieWah]

Fresh or powder.

Nothing in between.

[azhotdish]

Fresh garlic is not recommended when cooking items sous vide, particularly when doing tougher cuts of meat that require 24+ hours. Granulated garlic is a fine substitute in those cases.

[chefathome]

That's true - I had forgotten about that.

[paulj]

I suspect the various non-fresh forms were developed for commercial uses, and only later packaged for home use. Powdered and granulated forms are lot easier to add to sauces and condiments in a large commercial kitchen or factory than having an army of workers peeling individual cloves.

Here's a blog column that probably tells you more about garlic than you wanted to know - including the pros and cons of peeled garlic (using compressed air):
http://www.culinate.com/columns/bacon...

[Woodfireguy]

Thanks...that was a good read. I don't know if I've had hard neck before. Now I want to try it.

[chefathome]

My only use for powdered garlic is in dry rubs. Other than that, only fresh with me. Takes all of 30 seconds to mince with a knife. If I found I was out of fresh (that would never happen) I would not use powder instead but run out and buy fresh.

[paulj]

I'm not going to drive a couple of miles in the midst of supper preparations to buy a fresh head of garlic.

[Woodfireguy]

I get what your saying. I would not drive to the store ether. I shop for produce three times a week so my garlic never gets old.

[chefathome]

I would but so far that scenario has not happened. Lets hope it never does. But if I realized I was out of fresh garlic when making pesto or a wet rub, for example, I would definitely have to go get fresh.

[srsone]

hopefully thats what planning ahead and your mise en place would keep that from happening...

[chefathome]

That's what I mean - this has not happened to me yet nor is it likely to as I am almost too much of a planner (if that's possible). But if my husband were to use up all the garlic I would be prepared to go and pick up more. (I live in a small centre - easy to come and go in minutes!)

[paulj]

Have you ever reached for a fresh garlic clove and found that all are dried up or sprouted? That's when you appreciate one of the other forms, whether minced, whole peeled or dried.

I first tried the pre-peeled when I saw Korean groceries selling 1 and 2lb tubs of it. What do these heavy users of garlic know that I don't?

There's another thread about garlic, with a 'Am I a snob' subject line.

[alliedawn_98]

Yes! I have been having that issue with shriveled or sprouted garlic lately. I was in the store trying to find some and the bulbs all felt so empty. I bought elephant garlic instead since that was the only decent bulbs I could find locally. I tried it in a tomato based sauce and the flavor profile was a little different. Not to mention, that one clove was just way to much for what I needed. I ended up tossing about half of it into the compost. I didn't know the best way to store it for later use. I still have the elephant garlic, just missing that one clove.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Completely off topic, can you still get the peeled whole cloves in large bottles ? Have not seen them in some time.

[ferret]

I've been seeing it bagged. Costco has bags of California peeled cloves in their refrigerated foods section.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Thanks, that was where used to get the jars, will look again

[onceadaylily]

I think I remember someone on CH saying they had found it at Trader Joe's. If I'm remembering correctly, it prompted a few comments similar to this OP. ;)

[Vetter]

Tiny aside - that bag will stink up the fridge so fast! Even when I mason jarred it, the smell came through the plastic lid I used. Beware!

[woodleyparkhound]

I've gotten it several times at H Mart at astonishingly low prices, if you live near one of those.

[scarmoza]

When fresh garlic burns it gives off a bitter taste that many do not enjoy, including me. However dried garlic, garlic salt, garlic powder don't give off the same bitterness. Have you ever tried freshly ground dried garlic and salt for red oak style bbq?

[Woodfireguy]

Yes, it does get bitter if you over brown it or burn it that's for sure.I have not tried the ones you mentioned. I guess that my dislike for processed garlic comes from being Italian. You can get so many different flavor profiles from fresh garlic by the way you slice, crush, dice, brown or roast it, why bother with the rest. That just me, but I enjoy hearing every ones opinion. Thanks for replying

[scarmoza]

Santa Maria Style BBQ (aka Central Coast BBQ, Red Oak Grilling) also has Italian roots. Once you've tried it, you will find love and understanding for the dried garlic forever.

[Woodfireguy]

Thanks...I will keep an eye out for it.

[onceadaylily]

For much of the OP's list, the use of one doesn't preclude the use of the other (in my kitchen, anyway). I always have fresh on hand, and put it in the appropriate dishes, but sometimes a dish needs a little extra something. Sometimes that little extra something is a dash of soy, or worcestershire, and sometimes it is a bit of granulated garlic. I use garlic salt on or in popcorn, chicken salad, and the like. The salts and powdered aren't used as a substitute for fresh, but as an ingredient in their own right, with very different flavors than fresh garlic has.

I never use the peeled and minced stuff, but my boyfriend sometimes will sneak some into the shopping cart, simply because he *hates* peeling and chopping garlic. If he doesn't have any in the fridge, he'll do without it rather than get out the cutting board, if I'm not home to do it for him.

[Woodfireguy]

That’s interesting. What favor profiles are you getting that you can,t get from fresh? To me, garlic powder taste like a weaker version of fresh garlic that’s been slightly browned in olive oil.

[onceadaylily]

I agree with you about the powdered garlic (it has a dryness to it that I dislike). I don't use powdered garlic, just granulated garlic and garlic salt. To me, those two have a deeper flavor, similar to roasted, but without the sweetness of actual roasted garlic, which is nice for the quick fix of a lacking dish, or in something that I wouldn't want to add minced garlic in (like popcorn), where the texture qould be misplaced, and the flavor not spread out enough. The salt and granulated versions are my white girl version of a cheater MSG fix. But all brands of those two products are not created the same; I have had fantastic and horrible jars of both of those items.

When I was growing up, my mom used powdered garlic to make garlic bread. She started buying those jars of mince when I was a teenager, and she had just married an Italian-American. That was her concession to his heritage. ;)

[Woodfireguy]

Got it. If her husband is happy, then I’m happy. Isn’t garlic powder finely ground granulated garlic? Not sure on that one.

[onceadaylily]

I think so, but I've always thought that granulated seems to have a more pronounced taste, without the texture that I find unappealing (the powder even *smells* dry to me, floury, in a way). And I've always thought garlic powder would be more likely to have additives, but I could be wrong.

And my stepdad is as happy as he's gonna get in that regard. Mom is a very busy lady, and she likes a very 'convenient' kitchen.

[BobB]

I use garlic powder (and, for that matter, onion powder) for one thing and one thing only: as elements of my rib rub, prior to slow smoking. I don't think using fresh garlic & onion would work the same.

EDIT: just read the rest of the thread and see that I am not alone in this practice.

[Woodfireguy]

Your not alone. I see GP and OP in alot of rubs and it does work well there. OK, that's one reason why. I don't use rub's myself but have tasted them on a lot of low and slow BBQ

[Jenny Ondioline]

Yep. Penzey's granulated garlic gets a lot of play in my smoker over the summer months.

[Chris VR]

It comes down to ease of use. If I want a taste of garlic on a steak, for example, I'd turn to garlic powder or salt. Fresh garlic simply wouldn't work in that situation unless I was doing a marinade, and there's not always time for that.

Many times I'm cooking something on the fly, and I want a bit of a garlic taste, but don't have the time to peel, chop and saute the garlic to soften it. That's when I get a quick spoonful of minced garlic in oil from the fridge.

I love fresh garlic but I'm glad I have other options to turn to in various situations.

[Woodfireguy]

I get where you’re coming from. I’m of the opinion that processed garlic products have nothing good to offer other than convenience. Have you tried putting some Chimichurri on your steak? Not a time saver but great garlic flavor.

[Chris VR]

I love Chimichurri, especially in the summer when I'm swimming in parsley. I don't typically put garlic powder on steak, but my parents like it that way. They wouldn't go for the Chimichurri, though!

[Woodfireguy]

There ya go.

[MGZ]

. . . and only 27,200,012 were porn.

I'm with you when it comes to using fresh garlic. You will likely see, however, others disagree with us.

[Woodfireguy]

Did you try “Garlic Porn”? LOL

[srsone]

and dont google ginger....
u dont wanna know what people do with it....

[joonjoon]

Powdered garlic on pizza FTW!

[MGZ]

Excellent point, my friend.