What is clove of garlic?

What is a clove of garlic?

You can’t beat the great taste of fresh garlic but substituting ½ teaspoon of pre-minced garlic from a store-bought jar is a close second. I also find that ½ teaspoon of dehydrated minced garlic is another excellent replacement for a fresh garlic clove. After using some, the remaining dehydrated garlic gives you the added benefit of a longer shelf-life than an opened jar of pre-minced garlic. Garlic cloves can range in size from small to extra large, so when a recipe calls for a specific size it is important to be aware of what it is referencing. If the size is not taken into consideration it can greatly affect the taste of the end product. Shown below are the size differences and some information to help you determine if you are using the proper amount of garlic that is called for in the recipe. Garlic is a type of aromatic bulbs that primarily grow on a perennial tree also referred to as the bulb tree. The clove is the unopened flower bud of the garlic plant. Garlic has been cultivated and used by mankind since well before recorded history. The ancient Egyptians were cultivating and using garlic from around 3000 BC.

clove

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Countless chefs have experienced the tedium of trying to peel garlic a clove from the bulb and have ended up with stick, astringent garlic juice on their hands as they fumble with the fine paper-like skin. Possibly the easiest method to extract the clove from the bulb is to hold it in your hand and then use a paring knife to gently stab at the center of a clove, pulling it out from the skin. Conversely, a trick taught to aspiring chefs (who need to peel perhaps several cloves rapidly) is that one can grasp the top (or point) of the clove, and push the coarse base into a hard surface (such as a cutting board) until the paper "cracks", allowing it to be easily peeled from the clove.You can’t beat the great taste of fresh garlic but substituting ½ teaspoon of pre-minced garlic from a store-bought jar is a close second. I also find that ½ teaspoon of dehydrated minced garlic is another excellent replacement for a fresh garlic clove. After using some, the remaining dehydrated garlic gives you the added benefit of a longer shelf-life than an opened jar of pre-minced garlic.

Not nearly as effective but perfect in a pinch, you can substitute 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder for each garlic clove called for in the recipe. Be careful If you only have garlic salt. Of the ½ teaspoon required to replace 1 fresh clove, only 1/8 teaspoon is garlic and the rest is salt. Some recipe adjusting is usually needed to avoid making an overly salty dish.Fresh garlic can definitely go bad and the length of time you have to use it depends on the state of the garlic and the storage situation. If you're not sure, there are 2 easy ways to tell if garlic is still good to use. First is to simply look at the garlic. Its color should still be white with no dark spots on it. A yellowish appearance shows aging. Like Charmin, the second way is the squeeze test. The head and clove should be firm, not soft or pliable under pressure. (Source: www.howmuchisin.com)