How-To: Steam and Store Fresh Garlic

Is Anthony Bourdain in your head? I refuse to reprint scathing quotes from his memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.

Neverthless, he continues to be influential even after his death. Directly or indirectly, many Western cooks are plagued by his disdain for jarlic which unfortunately became as pervasive as his restaurant techniques.

My own outlook on jarlic aligns more with Melanie Marcus of Miss Nutritious Eats:

Jarred pre-minced garlic will never replace fresh cloves (that is where you get the best flavor). But if peeling and slicing garlic is a step of cooking that is getting in the way of YOU cooking meals at home, I say use the jarred garlic. And don’t feel guilty about it! As you start to cook more, or circumstances change, you may have more time to give to the cooking process, and your choice of garlic may change too!

“I’m Making The Case For Jarred Garlic – Really!” (13 March 2023)

But if peeling and slicing garlic aren’t in the way…

Let’s be honest!

If you’re still reading because you think using fresh garlic will save you money, then I have news:

Clove for clove, garlic and jarlic are roughly the same price!

At the time of this writing, a jar of pre-minced garlic costs between $5-6.00 for 181 1-tsp (5-mL) servings. A bulb of fresh garlic costs around $0.33 and contains 10-12 cloves each of which produces about 1 tsp (5 mL) minced garlic. Thus, assuming 11 cloves per bulb, you need less than 17 bulbs to equal the same amount of pre-minced garlic. $0.33 x 17 bulbs = $5.61

BUT

Fresh garlic is more potent. If you use jarlic, you may be consciously or unconsciously spooning more into your dishes to compensate for its milder flavor thereby positioning yourself to buy it more often.

And if that process has you cooking, then that’s money well-spent.

I cannot stress enough that my goal with every post is to share what works for me and leave you feeling free to take or leave my discoveries therein. Steaming, mashing, and freezing medallions of fresh garlic empowered me to harness that potency. In other words, liberating myself from the peeling and mincing of obnoxiously sticky little cloves helped me stop thinking of cooking as a chore. My food became tastier too!

Yet however you garlic is a good way to garlic.

Noun or verb, fresh or jarred, garlic is indispensable in most kitchens. I suggest steaming it to extract more deliciousness per dollar, as well as saving its peels to make Zero-Waste Vegetable Stock. But more than either of those things, I suggest cooking however you can.