Don't add the garlic until the mushrooms are almost done cooking—or else it'll burn. Photo: Nicole Franzen
2. Adding It to the Pan Too Soon
Garlic burns easily, especially when chopped or sliced. Remember: smaller bits cook quicker, and so does food with greater surface area/more pieces. In the case of sautés and stir-fries, don't add it to the pan until at least mid-way through the recipe, advises Li. There will be less time for the garlic to become burnt, and you'll also have a convenient bed (chopped onions, greens, etc.) to cushion it from the hot pan. If you're cooking something saucy, with lots of liquid, like a pasta sauce, you can add the garlic early. Sauté it quickly then add the liquid element to bring down the temperature of the hot pot and keep your precious garlic from becoming burnt nubbins.
3. Cooking It at Too High a Heat
Of course, this goes hand-in-hand with rule no. 2. It's better to start at a lower heat and bump up the volume as needed. If you start too high, the garlic will be crispy and not-delicious by the time the pan has adjusted to the lower temperature. The same goes for roasting garlic, by the way. A whole head of garlic that's been halved, rubbed with oil, and wrapped in foil then baked in an oven turns sweet, creamy, and spreadable. But keep the temperature no higher than 375˚F, or the outer edges will burn before it has time to soften.
This Caesar dressing gets a kick from powdered garlic. Photo: Peden + Munk
4. Buying Pre-Cut Garlic
Pre-cut garlic? No way. The stuff packed in jars has much less flavor than fresh garlic. Li and Rampe agree: Either go fresh or go powdered, but don't be tempted by the already-chopped stuff. And if it surprises you to hear we like powdered garlic, you must be forgetting we're big fans of battered and fried foods, meat that's been flavored with dry rubs, and kicky dips and dressings. There's definitely a time and a place for the powdered stuff (that time is "always," and the place is "our bellies.").
Our most gloriously garlicky recipes ever
