Garlic Question

[Menuet]

I've only begun cooking at home for us this past year but I worked in a restaurant. I have a recipe for Hungarian Goulash and it calls for garlic,minced. I have garlic powder,can a substitute be made,and what is the difference? I've never worked with garlic. I've been told by a few cooks it's all in the matter of how deep you want the garlic taste but most people can't tell a dif. Can you?? I've never cut up garlic.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Hi Meneut, you can use garlic powder, specially if it's in a dish that has lots of other flavors, but with garlic salt you might have to adjust the salt in the recipe. There's chopped garlic in jars too that you can get. Fresh garlic lasts a long time. Just crush it with the side of a knife and the skin comes off easy, then chop it up. I can't imagine life w/o garlic Garlic connesuirs (sp?) say anything other than fresh garlic has a bitter taste.

 

[ChasingMyDreams]

Hi, you can use garlic powder but the flavour wouldn't be as intense as it would be if you were to use crushed garlic or a fresh clove. Garlic powder works better with pasta dishes and baked meats, or vegetables. Minced garlic is just fresh garlic thats be pre-crushed for convenience, I love using it, it has a wonderful full flavour. Fresh garlic cloves are great to use you can crush them yourself using a garlic crusher or the same method Evangelica mentioned. I bake whole garlic cloves in the oven in their skin when I'm making baked vegetables or meats you can eat them baked and the cloves are really quite sweet when they're cooked this way. My daughter absolutely loves them.

 

[Birbitt]

Garlic powder can be used as a substitute however the amounts won't be the same and the flavor will be different....I always keep both garlic powder and the minced garlic in a jar on hand for times when I don't feel like chopping garlic....

 

[Tiffanya]

I personally prefer crushed garlic if I am going to use a subtitute, don't find garlic salt/powder give the same result as fresh or the one that comes already crushed in a jar.

Here's a link you may also find helpful....http://startcooking.com/blog/51/How-to-Slice--Mince-and-Crush-Garlic

Here's a hint: If you want to get rid of the garlic breath - chew on some fresh parsley

 

[Rebekka]

Fresh garlic is always better. The finer you chop it, the stronger it tastes. You get the strongest taste if you crush it in a pestle and mortar. Also, the later you put it in the dish, the stronger it will taste. I love garlic, so I always make sure to save a bit to put in just before serving, to have a stronger garlic taste.

Garlic powder doesn't compare, really. And IMO there are very few dishes who don't improve with adding garlic (obviously not counting sweet dishes).

 

[merryheart]

Fresh garlic is always better. The finer you chop it, the stronger it tastes. You get the strongest taste if you crush it in a pestle and mortar. Also, the later you put it in the dish, the stronger it will taste. I love garlic, so I always make sure to save a bit to put in just before serving, to have a stronger garlic taste.

Garlic powder doesn't compare, really. And IMO there are very few dishes who don't improve with adding garlic (obviously not counting sweet dishes).

Obviously you've never been to the garlic festival and had garlic icecream

jk

 

[Menuet]

I have learned that fresh IS best. I rarely use powder anymore.

 

[Maviga]

I have never used garlic powder. In our house it's forbidden haha!
Just chop it up very fine and it will do the dish great! Don't be afraid to put in too much. Garlic often adds a special taste to the dinner (and aftertaste lol).

I liked the tip about chewing on parsley after eating garlic. Next time I will be buying Parsley with my garlic.

 

[bliz]

I can't see any reason to choose garlic powder over fresh garlic. Ever. You will be much happier with the final product. Buy the bulbs - they keep well and your dish will taste much fresher. I don't doubt that cooks have told you it all tastes the same, but I doubt if I want to eat their food.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

I really prefer fresh too. Something to keep in mind too which I didn't know is that some garlic powder (usually the cheapo stuff) have dyes and other weird little things which people can be allergic to. Garlic is so easy to work with and cheap that why not just go with the real thing when you can. Even if you hate chopping it get a dollar store garlic press and problem solved.

If you have to use something that isn't fresh there are other options which are still better. Lighthouse sells dehydrated garlic in the produce and salad section of our grocery stores and it is almost as good as the real thing as long as you give it time to rehydrate. There's also garlic that's been pre minced or sliced that is available for dirt cheap. I find though that garlic has a muted garlic taste. For the full kaboom of garlic without the hassle you can buy tubes of garlic paste, either regular or roasted. Aside from the dehydrated stuff the paste has the most potent and authentic garlic taste without the look. It does tend to be slightly more expensive, but a little goes a loooooooooong way. Try to avoid the paste in metal tubes. I find it has that metal aftertaste that sometimes canned stuff has.

Hope that helps.