{"id":4850,"date":"2023-06-15T22:53:02","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T15:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=4850"},"modified":"2023-06-15T22:53:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T15:53:02","slug":"a-professional-chefs-tip-for-how-to-cut-garlic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=4850","title":{"rendered":"A Professional Chef\u2019s Tip for How To Cut Garlic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">F<\/span>or most cooks, aside from salt, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/benefits-of-raw-garlic\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/benefits-of-raw-garlic\/\">garlic is a quintessential ingredient<\/a> in most recipes. Think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/healthy-shrimp-recipes\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/healthy-shrimp-recipes\/\">shrimp scampi<\/a> or 40-clove garlic chicken. But as much as you may love eating this aromatic and highly-flavorful allium, cracking open a head of garlic, let alone mincing it, can be quite the ordeal. (Read: Getting a lumpy and not-uniform garlic bulb to stand still on a flat surface is virtually impossible.)<\/div>\n<p>Although there definitely isn\u2019t just <em>one <\/em>right way of cutting garlic, we\u2019ve honed in on several tips and tricks for making this meal prep task as effortless (and safe) as possible. Cue two cooking experts that weigh in on their best-kept garlic secrets. Spoiler alert: We have the full lowdown on how to cut garlic, as well as store it and get the pesky odor of garlic off your fingertips ahead.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>First things first: How do you cut open a whole garlic bulb?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>POV: You get home from the grocery store and forget to pick up the bag of pre-peeled garlic. Thankfully, your next-door neighbor spares you a trip back to the supermarket and gives you a whole head of garlic. So generous. But now you\u2019re left with the daunting task of figuring out how in the world you cut open a whole garlic bulb. Unless, of course, you\u2019re using it to make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/black-garlic-benefits\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/black-garlic-benefits\/\">black garlic<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from squeezing it in your fingers with the hope of dislodging a clove or two, <a href=\"https:\/\/downshiftology.com\/about-lisa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/downshiftology.com\/about-lisa\/\">Lisa Bryan<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/downshiftology.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/downshiftology.com\/\">Downshiftology<\/a> and the author of the bestselling cookbook <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDownshiftology-Healthy-Meal-Prep-Quick-Assembly%2Fdp%2F0593235576%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx1052-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fhow-to-cut-garlic%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fhow-to-cut-garlic%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Downshiftology-Healthy-Meal-Prep-Quick-Assembly\/dp\/0593235576\"><em>Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep<\/em><\/a>, recommends taking a knife to it. Plain and simple. \u201cSlice the top off of the garlic about a quarter of the way down to expose all of the individual garlic cloves. This technique is great for when you want to roast a whole head of garlic,\u201d Bryan says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cut-garlic\/\" current-title=\"Everything You Need To Know About How To Cut Garlic Without Totally Losing Your Cool\" current-image=\"how-to-cut-garlic-roasted-in-a-pan-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2022-12-15\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cut-garlic\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cut-garlic\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-cut-garlic\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Granted, this method only works if you intend on using the whole head of garlic at once\u2014which, in most cases, the more, the merrier. (After all, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/garlic-aphrodisiac\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/garlic-aphrodisiac\/\">garlic is an aphrodisiac<\/a>.) But when prepping a delicate salad dressing that would be totally overpowered by the presence of, say, 10 raw garlic cloves, you may need to resort to plan B, aka doing it the good old-fashioned way: \u201cI personally like to open it with my hands,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSFD-1063909%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.linkedin.com%252Fin%252Fmattpadilla%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fhow-to-cut-garlic%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mattpadilla\/\">Matthew Padilla<\/a>, the culinary innovation director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.truefoodkitchen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.truefoodkitchen.com\/\">True Food Kitchen<\/a>. &#8220;I peel off the other layers to expose the cluster of cloves, then I remove them one at a time as needed, and it stays fresh.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>How do you separate garlic cloves?<\/h3>\n<p>Of course, peeling garlic cloves with your bare hands isn\u2019t always super easy, especially if the bulb you\u2019re working with isn\u2019t budging much using only the pressure of your fingertips. In this case, you may want to enact a rock-and-roll-style approach. Place the head of garlic root-side down on a flat surface, and with the palm of your hands, press, push\u2014rock and roll\u2014into it as if you were performing garlic CPR. This will help break the head of garlic apart and separate the cloves without peeling them. And if all else fails, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-peel-garlic-in-the-microwave\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-peel-garlic-in-the-microwave\/\">microwave \u2018em for a few seconds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The next step: Do you peel garlic before cutting it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Undeniably, the most frustrating part of working with garlic is peeling the cloves. To prep \u2018em and make the process much easier, Padilla recommends soaking the garlic clove in hot water for five minutes before peeling it with a small paring knife. This helps maintain their whole shape. However, if you intend on chopping or mincing the clove, he says crushing a clove on a cutting board with the side of a knife to separate the peel and inner flesh is equally as effective. That said, this can have some implications for your kitchen knife.<\/p>\n<p>Although it may not damage the strong steel per se, it may cause it to tarnish the flat side of a knife if not properly cleaned shortly after crushing it. \u201cI always have a habit of cleaning my knife between every task, so this isn\u2019t an issue for me,\u201d says Padilla, invoking a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-mise-en-place\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-mise-en-place\/\">chef\u2019s number-one cooking tip<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to cut garlic, according to the pros<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Fortunately, garlic can be quite forgiving\u2014considering that it\u2019ll be cooked down into oblivion in most cases. So, precise knife cuts aren\u2019t always top of mind. \u201cUse a simple rocking motion with a chef&#8217;s knife to thinly slice it, then slice across to mince it as rough or fine as you&#8217;d like,\u201d says Bryan. \u201cYou have a lot more control over the texture of minced garlic using a knife rather than a garlic press.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a professional kitchen setting, chefs use a <em>hach\u00e9 <\/em>knife cut to create a fine mince, according to Padilla. \u201cWe would place the middle of the blade on a board, using your non-knife hand placed on top of the end of the knife,\u201d he says. \u201cThen using your knife hand, rock the handle up and down through the garlic in a rapid motion,\u201d he says. It should resemble the motion of a teeter-totter going up and down, with the center of balance over the garlic clove.<\/p>\n<h3>But wait, why do you cut the tip off garlic?<\/h3>\n<p>Although it isn\u2019t totally necessary, Padilla suggests cutting off the base of a clove. \u201cI cut the tip off as it has an unpleasant woody texture,\u201d he says. This is especially pertinent if the goal is to get the many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/benefits-of-raw-garlic\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/benefits-of-raw-garlic\/\">benefits of raw garlic<\/a> and eat it uncooked, which doesn\u2019t lend the tough ends an opportunity to soften up.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How can you tell if garlic has gone bad?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Did you happen to see a green stem starting to poke out of the bulb of garlic that\u2019s been sitting on your countertop for weeks? Does this mean it\u2019s time to <em>bid adieu<\/em> to the ingredient? Both cooking experts say not necessarily. \u201cSprouted garlic is totally fine to eat, though it does have a slightly different flavor\u2014it&#8217;s a bit stronger and more bitter. If you&#8217;re using multiple garlic cloves in a recipe and a few are sprouted, I doubt anyone will even notice,\u201d Bryan says. Although she adds that she wouldn\u2019t recommend using sprouted garlic if it\u2019ll be the shining star ingredient of a recipe. Meanwhile, Padilla has a similar thought process. \u201cI typically don&#8217;t use sprouted garlic unless I\u2019m in a pinch,\u201d he says. \u201cIf it\u2019s sprouted, I will cut it in half and remove the center.\u201d This can remove some of the bitterness.<\/p>\n<p>But to really tell if a head of garlic is totally bad, Padilla and Bryan recommend looking for tell-tale indicators of spoilage. \u201cThe first sign of garlic going bad is a change in color. You may start to see spots on the garlic cloves when you peel them,\u201d Padilla says. Bryan adds that fresh garlic should be plump and firm. \u201cGarlic that&#8217;s beyond its prime may be shriveled and soft to the touch,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What\u2019s the best way to store garlic?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Similar to onions, Bryan says heat and moisture are garlic\u2019s main enemies. \u201cKeep garlic bulbs stored in your pantry or other cool, dry place so they don&#8217;t rot or sprout from any direct sunlight,\u201d she says. According to her, this can help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-store-garlic\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/how-to-store-garlic\/\">prolong its shelf life for weeks<\/a>. As for the cloves, Bryan recommends storing them in two ways: whole or pureed. \u201cTo store whole cloves, remove the individual cloves from the head and peel them. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months,\u201d Bryan says.<\/p>\n<p>If you want easy access to already-minced cloves, Bryan suggests throwing them into a food processor and pureeing them. \u201cThen, place them in a small ice cube tray and freeze. Once firm, transfer them to an airtight container in the freezer and store them for up to three months. Plus, you don\u2019t need to thaw them before using them\u2014just add them straight to whatever you&#8217;re making,\u201d she says. Padilla also recommends submerging minced garlic in olive oil, which can also help lengthen their freshness.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How to remove garlic smell from fingers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If the smell of garlic seems to linger on your fingertips for days on end, Bryan and Padilla have a few helpful tips to mitigate the situation at hand (pun intended). \u201cWhile there are many different methods\u2014like rubbing your hands against a stainless steel pot or rubbing coffee grounds in your hands\u2014what I do most often is rub a little salt and baking soda in my hands with a few drops of water to create a paste,\u201d Bryan says. \u201cThen, I&#8217;ll rinse that off with soap and water.\u201d Padilla agrees and also suggests using a squeeze of lemon to help remove any lingering odor.<\/p>\n<p><em>Learn the benefits of garlic, according to an RD:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Benefits of Garlic &amp; How To Use It | You Versus Food | Well+Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TRmu4NiJWK8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For most cooks, aside from salt, garlic is a quintessential ingredient in most recipes. Think shrimp scampi or 40-clove garlic chicken. But as much as you may love eating this aromatic and highly-flavorful allium, cracking open a head of garlic, let alone mincing it, can be quite the ordeal. (Read: Getting a lumpy and not-uniform &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}