1. Add Garlic Just Before Turning Off the Heat to Avoid Overcooking it.  

Consider the 7-Minute Rule.  Before you begin cooking your favorite dish, prepare your garlic first by crushing, mincing, chopping, or shredding it,  and then, set it aside while you prepare the other ingredients. Breaking the garlic cells kickstarts a unique chemical reaction. Allicin is made when two substances present in garlic, alliin and allinase, interact - a chemical reaction that only occurs when the cells of the clove are broken down, through cutting, crushing, or slicing. It takes about 7 minutes for the process to occur.  To retain as much of the allicin as possible, add the garlic to your dish about 7 minutes before you turn off the heat. Cook the garlic at temperatures below 140 deg. F. and keep in mind that garlic cooks well with butter or olive oil. Don’t overheat either of these or you’ll burn not only the garlic but the oil as well. 

2. Use Fresh, Raw Garlic Whenever Possible. 

Avoid garlic powders!  Dried, powdered or stale imported garlic has lost much of its health properties and flavour. Freshly harvested garlic has the sweetest flavour and the least amount of allicin. As garlic cures, its flavour becomes stronger in storage and even bitter when the cloves start to sprout.  Handing raw garlic can leave a lasting "garlickly" smell on your fingers.  Eating raw garlic causes bad breath more so than cooked or partly cooked garlic due to the allicin.  If you are using raw garlic in dishes such as pesto or guacamole, salsa, bruschetta and dips, serve garlic dishes with sprigs of fresh parsley, lemon slices or other mints so guests can refresh their palate and reduce garlic odour. 

3. Hardneck Garlic is Best. 

If you want more flavour and nutritional value be sure to purchase hardneck garlic. Know the different types of garlic and use each to its best advantage. The plump bulbs of hardneck porcelain garlic are best for roasting or barbequing. Avoid softneck garlic unless you are searching for a diluted, milder flavour.  Another advantage of hardneck garlic is that they produce delicious, cute, "pig tail" garlic scapes. Scapes are a seasonal delicacy, harvested from hardneck garlic types a month or so before the main garlic harvest. Scapes contain the same health properties and garlic oil as bulbs and can be used in place of garlic in most of your favourite recipes.  

4. Use Garlic in Virtually Every Meal. 

Garlic can be integrated into virtually any meal. Search for recipes that incorporate garlic for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks. Don’t forget those delicious garlic desserts like  garlic chocolate fudge, chocolate covered garlic, garlic ice cream, or garlicky pineapple upside down cake. Gently-cooked garlic enhances the taste of all meats, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and it morphs the flavor of fish or seafood from ordinary to outstanding. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your favourite recipes. Adding garlic usually makes them better.   White wine or Red Wine with garlic? Yes! Garlic in wine? Make your own by slicing a few cloves of garlic and letting them age for a few weeks in your favourite bottle of merlot or pinot red wine. Remove garlic and enjoy the wine. Did your garlic cloves suddenly turn a blue-green colour? This colour change is harmless, except to the appearance of your dish. When garlic is minced in its raw form and comes into contact with an acid (lemon juice, vinegar), the acid begins to break down the garlic, changing its composition. This alteration creates a reaction with garlic’s amino acids and a blue-green colour results. 



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