Garlic, as we all know, is one of the few crops that are planted during the rainy season. A head of this year one can simply plant a clove, cover it with mulch, and will be ready for harvest during the dry season.
Read also: DOES MINCED GARLIC GO BAD? – ANSWERED
Small, strong, and incredibly flavorful, garlic is a versatile spice that gives meat, vegetables, rice, and many other foods a flavor boost. Find out how to store garlic, whether it is whole, in cloves, or peeled, as well as how to purchase it and extend its shelf life.
Garlic is a common item in kitchens. Everyone. How long does garlic last, though? How long has yours been there, exactly? Maybe it spent the previous year in a cute tiny porcelain garlic jar.
Perhaps you have a few bulbs that have been sitting on top of your refrigerator for the previous four months. Perhaps you have a stray peeled garlic clove from last night’s dinner preparation under your kitchen table. It’s all really believable. Are they still good, though?
You may get a general idea of how long garlic will last in fridge. A whole head of garlic will live for about six months if left unpeeled. (If you store it properly, that is. Later, more on that.) The shelf life of a single, unpeeled clove is roughly three weeks.
But as soon as the skin is removed, garlic begins to deteriorate more quickly. In the refrigerator, peeled garlic cloves can last up to a week, but minced garlic loses its potency quickly
But this is all assuming your garlic is stored in the right place. This is all to say that you should always buy whole, unpeeled heads of garlic and peel only as many cloves as you’re going to use at one time—as tempting as the pre-peeled or pre-minced garlic at the grocery store may look, chances are it’s been sitting around for way too long.
Chicken adobo uses a hell of a lot of garlic.
There are things you can do to make sure your garlic stays tastier for longer, and they all have to do with storage. Unpeeled heads of garlic like to live in a dry, cool, ventilated, and dark place. Even though that sounds like the fridge, it’s not.
Garlic should be stored closer to room temperature, away from heat. If you follow these rules, your garlic should live a long and prosperous life in your pantry.
But say you’ve got some heads of garlic that’ve been sitting around for a while, since you haven’t been cooking that much aglio e olio lately. How do you tell if it’s still good?
There is a tremendous amount of garlic in chicken adobo.
You may take steps to ensure that your garlic stays sweeter for a longer period of time, and they all include preservation. Garlic cloves that haven’t been peeled prefer to live in a dry, cool, airy, and dark environment.
That sounds like the refrigerator, but it’s not. Keep garlic away from heat and closer to room temperature. Garlic should live a long and productive life in your cupboard if you go by these guidelines.
However, let’s say that because you haven’t been making a lot of aglio e olio lately, you have several heads of garlic that have been lying around for a while. How can one tell if something is still good?
There are several techniques to determine. Look at it first. Are there any gloomy areas? Yeah? Discard that material. Your garlic has gone bad if it displays signs of rot or has discolored areas. Then, search for little green sprouts.
Find any? Oh, there it is. Ignore it. Green growths are indicators that the garlic has begun to rot. To be clear, consuming sprouting garlic won’t be fatal. Simply put, the flavor won’t be what you’re expecting.
It is also touchable. Of course. You may certainly touch your garlic, but it also helps to be able to recognize when it has gone bad. Squeeze the garlic to see whether it is soft, then throw it away. Crisp and firm garlic is ideal.
And finally, after you peel it, observe the color. The best garlic is almost always more white than yellow. If you’re gazing at a yellow clove, you might want to reconsider your approach.
Avoid using subpar garlic. Now that you are prepared, you no longer need to cook with inferior bulbs. After all, if you’re going to have garlic breath anyhow, you might as well have the best possible garlic breath.
