Mince ahead. If you often cook with garlic, peel the cloves from one bulb and process all of them in a mini food chopper or processor. Remember that approximately one teaspoon of minced garlic equals one clove. Store minced garlic in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Note: As soon as garlic is minced, it begins drying out and losing flavor.
Rub for bread. To make simple yet flavorful garlic bread, rub the cut side of a clove over bread slices or a baguette cut lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and broil until toasted.
Roast a bulb. Without peeling, cut off one-quarter of the top of the garlic bulb, exposing the cloves. Wrap bulb loosely in foil and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 50 minutes, until cloves are mushy. Cool slightly and squeeze the roasted cloves into sauces, soups or dressings, or use it as a sandwich spread.
Go for the green. In late spring, look for garlic scapes, the curly, green stalks of the garlic plant that are harvested for only a few weeks each year. Garlic scapes are tender and milder in flavor compared to cloves. Mince and use them like chives as a raw topper for salads, soups and vegetables or puree them into pesto and hummus.
Neutralize the smell. Get rid of garlicky odor lingering on your hands with some kitchen metal. Wash your hands with soap and water, then rub them on a stainless steel faucet for about 10 seconds. Rinse and repeat until the smell is gone. If there is no stainless steel in your kitchen, purchase a soap bar-shaped piece of stainless steel designed for deodorizing hands after cooking.
Find more garlic hacks: “Peeling and Dealing with Fresh Garlic”
To see the entire Healthy Kitchen Hacks series, click here.
Based in St. Louis, Serena Ball, MS, RD, is a food writer and owner of Teaspoon Communications. She blogs at TeaspoonOfSpice.com and produces bi-weekly Facebook LIVEs. Serena co-created TheRecipeReDux.com. She is happiest in her aqua-blue kitchen baking bread. Follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.