# Garlic in a jar



## Mimizkitchen (Jan 16, 2011)

I'm talking about the whole peeled kind you find in the produce section... I bought this today, as I needed a lot of garlic for what I was cooking, and have never used it before... Does anybody use it, and what are your professional opinions about it... Good, bad, so so in a pinch...


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## GrillingFool (Jan 16, 2011)

Very convenient, lasts a goodly amount of time in a Debbie Meyer green bag, but 
a bit expensive. 
Tastes the same to me. (Home cook opinion.)


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## MSC (Jan 16, 2011)

I like it but like the frozen garlic that comes in cubes, 20 cubes to a pack, at Trader Joe's.  I think they last longer with less deterioration.


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## 4meandthem (Jan 16, 2011)

The garlic has been cooked a little and has a different flavor.
I am not sayin that's bad...just different...and needs to be used with that in mind.There are times when I want jarred,fresh,dried,roasted, etc. for their own properties.

I used to work 1/4 mile from the largest garlic producer and right across the street from the dump where the disposeed of the cooked/nasty dregs at 6:00 am.I live 15 miles away and can still smell it sometimes when the conditions are right.


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## pacanis (Jan 16, 2011)

Not a professional opinion, but a recent opinion from someone who used this garlic for the first time about two months ago. It's convenient, but definitely not as flavorful as fresh garlic. At least not the jars I bought.
I was making six fatties and needed a _lot_ of chopped garlic, so tried the stuff in the jar so I wouldn't have to deal with the paper and stickiness of preparing "real" garlic. The fatties were lacking their usual garlic flavor. The flavor was more mild/sweet tasting.
I can't say that I'd use it again, even if I need a lot of chopped garlic. Maybe.


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## Mimizkitchen (Jan 16, 2011)

pacanis said:


> Not a professional opinion, but a recent opinion from someone who used this garlic for the first time about two months ago. It's convenient, but definitely not as flavorful as fresh garlic. At least not the jars I bought.
> I was making six fatties and needed a _lot_ of chopped garlic, so tried the stuff in the jar so I wouldn't have to deal with the paper and stickiness of preparing "real" garlic. The fatties were lacking their usual garlic flavor. The flavor was more mild/sweet tasting.
> I can't say that I'd use it again, even if I need a lot of chopped garlic. Maybe.



It's not the stuff in a jar all chopped up and sitting in some kind of preservative, it's spice worlds whole peeled garlic, and it has not been cooked in any way, just peeled...


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 16, 2011)

I like it, when I need a lot of garlic at once.  Otherwise, it definitely has a shelf life and will go bad if you are unable to use it up.  With just the two of us, it's too much for everyday use.


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## pacanis (Jan 16, 2011)

oops, my bad Mimi. I thought all jarred garlic was the same, just whole, chopped or minced. Off to Google Spice World's garlic.


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## pacanis (Jan 16, 2011)

Oh yeah... it looks just like plain, peeled garlic. No liquid.
Their site doesn't give any descriptions on their products that I could find, but that's also the maker of the chopped garlic I used.


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## babetoo (Jan 16, 2011)

i have some in fridg. now that needs to be thrown away. i always forget it is there and use fresh. not enough flavor for me.


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## mollyanne (Jan 16, 2011)

I'm with MSC...I have Trader Joe's fresh frozen garlic cubes in the freezer as we speak...tastes as good as fresh, is convenient, lasts...but I also use fresh garlic when I want roasted whole cloves or rough chopped.

I've also tried the vaccum sealed (in plastic) peeled kind and those are great. But I'm nervous about food that comes in plastic.


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 16, 2011)

I buy a refrigerated Garlic and Ginger Paste from an Indian store...Very nice in stir fry etc....Other than that, we use fresh garlic.....Have tried the various garlic in the jar products, but just can't get happy with it.


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## Andy M. (Jan 16, 2011)

Uncle Bob said:


> I buy a refrigerated Garlic and Ginger Paste from an Indian store...Very nice in stir fry etc....Other than that, we use fresh garlic.....Have tried the various garlic in the jar products, but just can't get happy with it.



Bob, is that garlic and ginger paste combined or to different products?

Also, how does the flavor compare?


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 16, 2011)

All in one jar Andy....It actually says Ginger and Garlic....so a little heavier on the Ginger ~~~ The Ginger flavor compares very well to fresh grated...The Garlic? About like you would expect from a "jar garlic" LOOK ~~~ I pay $2.99 a jar.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 16, 2011)

My favorite Garlic Christopher Ranch


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## Andy M. (Jan 16, 2011)

Uncle Bob said:


> All in one jar Andy....It actually says Ginger and Garlic....so a little heavier on the Ginger ~~~ The Ginger flavor compares very well to fresh grated...The Garlic? About like you would expect from a "jar garlic" LOOK ~~~ I pay $2.99 a jar.




Thanks, Bob.  I'll look for it next time I go Indian grocery shopping.  I usually do it by hand and this could save a little time.

My Indian neighbors make up a big batch and use it over time.  I don't cook Indian recipes often enough to do that.


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 17, 2011)

Andy, I use it primarily in Asian stir fry concoctions....as well as an occasional curry dish....It's shelf stable...refrigerate after opening. Also it's open dated so check the date closely....The store here leaves out-of-date merchandise on the shelf...So it's buyer beware! 

Fun!


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## CWS4322 (Jan 17, 2011)

Speaking of garlic...I am partial to Argentinian or Californian garlic when I run out of garlic from the garden. I HATE garlic from China--it turns moldy within days, doesn't have the flavor it should, texture, etc., etc., etc. I chop my own garlic, cover it with olive oil and pop it in a jar for the fridge or sautee / roast garlic / chop garlic and freeze it. Same with onions, leeks, and shallots. It works for me and is a lot cheaper than buying it in a jar already. Guess the jar costs a lot <g>.


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## Claire (Jan 17, 2011)

I have used the whole, peeled when I needed a lot, but it is not commonly, readily available here.  I had no problems with it at all, just that it is a lot of garlic.  The minced/chopped whatever in small jars I find bitter, I'd rather use garlic salt/powder/dried when the "fresh" garlic isn't good.  One local farmer has taken to selling something I think is called hard neck garlic.  What a revelation!  Yummmy yumm yumm.


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## jennyema (Jan 17, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Speaking of garlic...I am partial to Argentinian or Californian garlic when I run out of garlic from the garden. I HATE garlic from China--it turns moldy within days, doesn't have the flavor it should, texture, etc., etc., etc. I chop my own garlic, cover it with olive oil and pop it in a jar for the fridge or sautee / roast garlic / chop garlic and freeze it. Same with onions, leeks, and shallots. It works for me and is a lot cheaper than buying it in a jar already. Guess the jar costs a lot <g>.



Storing fresh garlic in oil is a botulism risk!  It's dangerous.

You need to keep it refrigerated and use or throw it away after 10 days.


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## pacanis (Jan 17, 2011)

I've never had garlic go moldy. Sprouting is another issue... This stuff must be pretty easy to grow for as easily as it sprouts.


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## Arabesque (Jan 26, 2011)

I see a lot of Americans in here, hi! 

I'm in the UK and there's two kind of jarred garlic I use. The first is a puree, labelled 'Minced Garlic', which is very flavoursome and convenient for adding to sauces etc. The second is 'Very Lazy Garlic', and similar in concept to what the OP described. I use this when I want the garlic to be seen; on chicken, salads, etc.


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## kupo15 (Jan 27, 2011)

Speaking of garlic, I've used the small cloves where there are like 5 or 6 heads in a mesh bag but I've also seen a single head in the stores that is really big. Does anyone use that? What would be the point in buying that? So you only have to chop one clove instead of like 5?


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## garlicjosh (Jan 27, 2011)

kupo15 said:


> Speaking of garlic, I've used the small cloves where there are like 5 or 6 heads in a mesh bag but I've also seen a single head in the stores that is really big. Does anyone use that? What would be the point in buying that? So you only have to chop one clove instead of like 5?




are you sure it's one clove?
I feel like you are speaking of elephant garlic which is just huge and isn't really garlic at all.
as for the size of a clove..the size of it makes a difference in the flavor that one clove has, as does how you cut it to release the oils...so it all has it's own reason for use.
I personally stick to my usual head of garlic...and the ones I'll have this spring after the snow goes away.


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## kupo15 (Jan 27, 2011)

I said it was one huge head. And yea I think its called elephant garlic. I didn't realize it wasn't garlic...


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 27, 2011)

kupo15 said:


> I said it was one huge head. And yea I think its called elephant garlic. I didn't realize it wasn't garlic...


 
Yes, that is elephant garlic.  It has a much milder flavor...it is still in the alium family if not strictly a garlic.


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## Zhizara (Jan 28, 2011)

kupo15 said:


> Speaking of garlic, I've used the small cloves where there are like 5 or 6 heads in a mesh bag but I've also seen a single head in the stores that is really big. Does anyone use that? What would be the point in buying that? So you only have to chop one clove instead of like 5?



It's not the chopping, it's getting the skins off, especially when they are small.


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## cmarchibald (Jan 28, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I like it, when I need a lot of garlic at once.  Otherwise, it definitely has a shelf life and will go bad if you are unable to use it up.  With just the two of us, it's too much for everyday use.


There's only two of us, too, but the way we use garlic it wouldn't last a week!

That said I'm totally addicted to fresh garlic and don't mind the extra prep, even when I have to make a lot of it.  Actually I stumbled upon a little tool in the store one day that cut my garlic prep time by 90%....it's brilliant.  It's a little handheld garlic mincer that came with a "garlic peeler" that works astonishingly well....it's just a tube of rubber, you stick the clove in the tube, roll it on the counter top a few times and the paper falls right off.  Unreal.  If you use garlic even half as much as we do you guys should look for this:

Garlic Pro Dicer and Peeler Set review at Kaboodle

There are many similarly designed ones but they have plastic "teeth" instead of the steel blades that this one has (this is the same type I stumbled upon in the store).  I've never used the plastic kind but I can't imagine it works nearly as well as the blades do.  Even with the stainless blades I sometimes have trouble turning it, garlic can be tough!  

That peeler really does work, though!


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## cmarchibald (Jan 28, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Speaking of garlic...I am partial to Argentinian or Californian garlic when I run out of garlic from the garden. I HATE garlic from China--it turns moldy within days, doesn't have the flavor it should, texture, etc., etc., etc.


That might have something to do with how far it has to travel to get to you....I'm assuming you're in the US?  Here in the Philippines almost all our garlic comes from China and Taiwan and it's fantastic....I buy a huge bag because we use so much of it and it'll keep for 3 weeks easy.  Only once did I have one clove that started to get moldy.  Otherwise the only issue I have is garlic that starts sprouting.


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## Barbara L (Jan 28, 2011)

cmarchibald said:


> There's only two of us, too, but the way we use garlic it wouldn't last a week!
> 
> That said I'm totally addicted to fresh garlic and don't mind the extra prep, even when I have to make a lot of it.  Actually I stumbled upon a little tool in the store one day that cut my garlic prep time by 90%....it's brilliant.  It's a little handheld garlic mincer that came with a "garlic peeler" that works astonishingly well....it's just a tube of rubber, you stick the clove in the tube, roll it on the counter top a few times and the paper falls right off.  Unreal.  If you use garlic even half as much as we do you guys should look for this:
> 
> ...


I have the Garlic Pro Dicer and peeler set, and I agree they work great.  

Barbara


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 28, 2011)

cmarchibald said:


> There's only two of us, too, but the way we use garlic it wouldn't last a week!
> 
> That said I'm totally addicted to fresh garlic and don't mind the extra prep, even when I have to make a lot of it. Actually I stumbled upon a little tool in the store one day that cut my garlic prep time by 90%....it's brilliant. It's a little handheld garlic mincer that came with a "garlic peeler" that works astonishingly well....it's just a tube of rubber, you stick the clove in the tube, roll it on the counter top a few times and the paper falls right off. Unreal. If you use garlic even half as much as we do you guys should look for this:
> 
> ...


 
Thanks, Cory...I wishbooked it at Amazon.  I really don't mind the prep, but I usually have to set up in the living room...not enough counter space!  We love 40clove-chicken.


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## Skittle68 (Jan 28, 2011)

Mimizkitchen said:
			
		

> I'm talking about the whole peeled kind you find in the produce section... I bought this today, as I needed a lot of garlic for what I was cooking, and have never used it before... Does anybody use it, and what are your professional opinions about it... Good, bad, so so in a pinch...



Wait- so it's in a jar and not in liquid? Interesting... I would think it would be about the same as fresh, since it isn't cooked at all like the minced stuff in the water and phosphoric acid. I don't really think peeling garlic is hard, but I suppose if you need a lot it would get annoying after awhile. Have you used it yet? What did you think? How well did it keep?


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## Mimizkitchen (Jan 29, 2011)

Yes Skittle I used it and loved it, it was such a time saver... I don't mind peeling garlic but I was having a cooking day and needed alot, so it worked out really well... And no it's not in liquid, just peeled garlic in a plastic jar found in the produce aisle, it's by spice world...


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