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.
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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?
How and where you store garlic will affect how long it will last. Fresh, whole garlic that has been properly preserved can remain fresh for up to five months in the pantry and 12 months in the freezer.
Along with other common ingredients in cooking, including onions, leeks, shallots, and chives, garlic is a member of the amaryllis family. Garlic has a lot of wonderful uses besides cooking.
Now, in addition to the customary fresh and uncooked whole bulb, you can purchase garlic in the form of roasted garlic and garlic minced in a jar.
Garlic is frequently stored, so it’s important to understand the symptoms of rotting garlic as well as ways to extend its shelf life.
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You may get a general idea of how long garlic will last from us. 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, each peeled clove will last for up to a week. Chopped garlic will only keep for about a day unless it is covered in olive oil, in which case it will keep for two to three days.
But all of this assumes that your garlic is kept in the proper location. All of this is to say that you should always purchase whole, unpeeled heads of garlic and only peel as many cloves as you intend to use at a time.
Read also: HOW TO STORE MINCED GARLIC
As alluring as pre-peeled or pre-minced garlic may appear at the grocery store, chances are that it has been sitting around for far too long.
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 this guideline
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 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.
With these guidelines, your garlic should last a long time.
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 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.
