# Garlic - best way to store? (split)



## NYBrit (Jan 31, 2007)

On the subject of garlic...what is the best way to store it?  Refrigerate or in the pantry?  We bought some garlic yesterday for the first time.  I can't wait to cook with it!


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## Katie H (Jan 31, 2007)

Gosh. I dunno.  Buck and I usually go through 2 whole heads or more, of garlic every two weeks.  There are several schools of thought on how to store garlic.  I usually store my garlic with my onions.  The onions are stored in a hanging wire basket in our unheated and unair-conditioned kitchen.  The only challenge we have is during the warmer summer months when the temps rise and the humidity matches it.  Just means we have to eat more garlic more quickly.  And, what's the problem with that?

Otherwise, no problem.  You might await suggestions from others on this site.

I've never refrigerated garlic.  Too much moisture, no matter how sophisticated the refrigerator.  Just my opinion.   Whatever...garlic ROCKS!!!

My best recommendation...eat it and eat it soon.


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## NYBrit (Jan 31, 2007)

Thanks Katie.  I only ever cooked garlic once before a few years ago.  I made garlic mushrooms.  They came out really good too except that I underestimated how much mushrooms shrink when you cook them.  So I didn't have many of them but they were so good!


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## Katie H (Jan 31, 2007)

Oh, NYBrit, once you learn about the different "faces" garlic has, you will try to find out ways to incorporate it into every meal.  

Consider roasted garlic spread on toasted Italian bread as an appetizer.  Don't shy away.  You will still be "kissable."  Roasted garlic has a very nutty, sweet flavor.  There are countless ways to enjoy this delightful bulb.


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## Uncle Bob (Feb 1, 2007)

NYBrit said:
			
		

> On the subject of garlic...what is the best way to store it? Refrigerate or in the pantry? We bought some garlic yesterday for the first time. I can't wait to cook with it!


 
Store (fresh) garlic in a cool dry place..Never refrigerate.. as it will tend to sprout and turn bitter...We have a small basket on the counter with fresh garlic. Depending on the freshness when you buy.. it will last a fairly long time...Just don't "over buy"...Keep it turning..Keep it fresh!


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## BreezyCooking (Feb 1, 2007)

Re: garlic storage - I agree with UncleBob, assuming you're talking about unpeeled heads of fresh garlic.  I too keep mine in a wire basket on my kitchen counter along with my onions.  I used to keep them in a pantry cabinet, & also in one of those little glazed terracotta "garlic keepers", but they always seemed to sprout way too quickly.  The basket on the counter has worked much better.

Now if you're talking about those containers of whole pre-peeled garlic cloves are the pre-chopped product in oil - the whole pre-peeled cloves have to be kept refrigerated at all times, & the pre-chopped product must be refrigerated after opening.

While I never buy the pre-choppped garlic, I have purchased the pre-peeled cloves a few times after reading a good review on them in the The New York Times food section last year.  However, as the article stated, the quality between brands does differ, & the recommended brand (one sold by CostCo) came in such a huge container that - even though I'm a bigtime garlic lover & add it to everything - about a third of it went bad before I could use it.

So I'm back to using the fresh heads, which are probably better for me anyway!!


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## NYBrit (Feb 1, 2007)

Thanks for the answers those who answered my question.   I did mean fresh garlic unpeeled the lot.  I am looking forward to using it probably tomorrow night.  After reading a lot of the posts on this site, my wife and I went crazy shopping the other night and spent just over $200.  I bought the garlic, a large onion, 2 lemons 2 oranges as well as fresh broccoli, peppers, tomatoes and loads of other ingredients.  We're going to come up with something tasty tomorrow night, probably cooking in the wok.


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## Constance (Feb 1, 2007)

I store fresh garlic in a basket in a cool, dark corner where I have some wooden storage cubes stacked for potatoes, onions, etc. 
I also keep the pre-chopped jarred garlic on hand in the fridge. It's so darned convenient when you only want a bit to add to something. 
I also used granulated garlic sometimes. It's great for adding to canned soups or sauces to give them a bit more zip.


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## Loprraine (Feb 1, 2007)

I keep a few heads in an open container on the counter.   The rest, (I grow my own) is hung in the cold room.  I have bought the peeled cloves, but only if I'm making large batches of pickled garlic, and am feeling lazy.


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## jkath (Feb 1, 2007)

NYBrit - check out this post:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f24/roasted-garlic-14285.html?highlight=garlic+baker

take a look at the garlic baker that I've shown - it will get you even 
more in love with garlic!


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## NYBrit (Feb 1, 2007)

Thanks jkath that was a great post.  I know how to roast garlic now so that gives me even more options.  Who knew garlic could be so versatile!?


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## petey (Feb 2, 2007)

NYBrit said:
			
		

> On the subject of garlic...what is the best way to store it?  Refrigerate or in the pantry?  We bought some garlic yesterday for the first time.  I can't wait to cook with it!



Here is a nice trick, Remove husks from the outsides of each clove and place them into a jar then fill jar with oil of choice. I use either olive oil or canola. Make sure that the cloves are submerged. Put the jar in the refridgerator to store.Note that the oil will solidify, that is fine. It should last at least a month. At the same time you will have garlic flavored oil for cooking. just take a teaspoon and spoon some oil out into your pan for a sautee or whatever you will.

Hope this helped you


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 2, 2007)

Basically, for fresh heads of garlic all you need is someplace cool (not cold), dry, dark, and well ventilated but not in draft. Pretty much like for storing onions and potatoes. I have a wire 3-basket thing that hangs from the ceiling of my pantry that I toss all three in and they last for the 3-months it takes me to use them. 

Storing raw cloves of garlic in oil, even when refrigerated, is a ticking biological time bomb. Garlic stored this way should never be stored for more than about one week. There is something about garlic - when stored in the air, as mentioned above, it lasts for months without problems - but when covered with oil (which produces an anerobic environment) it is a breeding ground for the bacterium _Clostridium botulinum_ (aka: BOTULISM).

The garlic infused oils, and garlic packed in oil, that you find in the store are _acidified_ before canning. That's why they always taste a little "off" from fresh garlic.

This falls into the discussion we had in another forum comparing food safety with wearing your seatbelt. It's far better to wear your seatbelt and never need it than to need it and not be wearing it. There are literally hundreds of resources that suggest storing galic in oil is driving without your seatbelt.


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## petey (Feb 3, 2007)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> Basically, for fresh heads of garlic all you need is someplace cool (not cold), dry, dark, and well ventilated but not in draft. Pretty much like for storing onions and potatoes. I have a wire 3-basket thing that hangs from the ceiling of my pantry that I toss all three in and they last for the 3-months it takes me to use them.
> 
> Storing raw cloves of garlic in oil, even when refrigerated, is a ticking biological time bomb. Garlic stored this way should never be stored for more than about one week. There is something about garlic - when stored in the air, as mentioned above, it lasts for months without problems - but when covered with oil (which produces an anerobic environment) it is a breeding ground for the bacterium _Clostridium botulinum_ (aka: BOTULISM).
> 
> ...



I'm just curious how bacterium _Clostridium botulinum can develope if the garlic is submerged in oil (no air ) and the jar is closed tightly and kept refridgerated as well? Iv'e been doing this for some years now and the garlic is always good.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			



_


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## PytnPlace (Feb 3, 2007)

Wow, I've always kept my garlic in my veggie bin in the fridge.  I guess I'll try keeping them out and see if it works out better.


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## petey (Feb 3, 2007)

PytnPlace said:
			
		

> Wow, I've always kept my garlic in my veggie bin in the fridge.  I guess I'll try keeping them out and see if it works out better.




No root veggies in the fridge. Too moist of an environment.


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## mudbug (Feb 3, 2007)

And I always keep my carrots in the fridge, petey.  where do you keep yours?


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## petey (Feb 3, 2007)

mudbug said:
			
		

> And I always keep my carrots in the fridge, petey.  where do you keep yours?



In the pot with the rest of the ingredients


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## Aria (Feb 3, 2007)

Yes...keep your garlic in a small basket in the kitchen on your counter.  I have a tiny basket that holds one garlic bulb. The basket has a hole in the top.   This is perfect.  When used ready for another bulb.  Perhaps one bulb weekly.   NEVER refrigerate.


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 4, 2007)

petey said:
			
		

> I'm just curious how bacterium _Clostridium botulinum _can develope if the garlic is submerged in oil (no air ) and the jar is closed tightly and kept refridgerated as well? Iv'e been doing this for some years now and the garlic is always good.


 
This is really getting away from NYBrit's original question ....

Most bacteria are _aerobic_ (grow in the presence of oxygen) and their growth is retarded in an _anaerobic_ (no air) environment. _C. botulinum_, on the other hand, is an _anaerobe_ - the presence of oxygen retards its growth, so in an oxygen deprived environment they proliferate (the spores germinate and produce the botulism toxins). A low temperature, under 2ºC/35.6ºF also helps retard the gemerination of the spores - and obviously storing at room temp on the counter would only speed up the process. 

Garlic stored in unrefined Extra Virgin Olive Oil (cold pressed) is a bigger problem than when using refined oils - but, the problem is not eliminated without some modifications - the sodium (NaCl) concentration needs to be increased to 0.5-4.0% and the pH needs to be lowered to about 5.0 or less (there's a ratio of NaCl to pH - and I haven't found _the_ definative answer, yet).

_C. botulinum_ is also present in raw and pasturized honey. That is why honey is not recomended for very young children, the elderly, or anyone with an immune deficiency. 

Commercially produced garlic infused oils, or garlic in oil, have to be treated with antimicrobial agents, NaCl, acidifies, or a combination.


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