Easy Garlic Preparation Tip for Faster Meal Making

"Were I forced to have only one herb in my kitchen, garlic would be it. If there’s anything that enhances the flavor of food more or improves health better than garlic, it’s yet to be discovered. Garlic..., may, in the final analysis, be nothing less than one of the world’s most versatile culinary herbs and greatest medicinal plants. “Useful for everything” is my motto for garlic."

~ Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide 

Garlic makes everything so very delicious that it isn't hard to incorporate into our daily menu. However, it can be a bit tedious to stop and peel a clove and mince the clove for a recipe. And the last thing you want to do is deprive yourself of this healing food because of lack of time. We cook everything from scratch in our home so we are always looking for quick meal making tips. This is one of them! With this method, you will have a week's worth of garlic infusion to conveniently dip into.

To begin, we need to peel our garlic. To easily remove skin from your clove, place whole garlic in a quart sized mason jar (I learned this easy tip from Jacqueline). Place canning lid on your jar and shake garlic up and down for one minute.

Dump contents onto counter top and collect all the peeled cloves! Simple, simple.

Next, mince all your garlic and place in small glass jar. My favorite tool for quick mincing is a garlic press. Technically, you don't need to peel the garlic to use it (as it does the work for you). But, when you are doing a larger batch, it is more convenient to work with peeled garlic so you do not need to constantly remove skin from the device.

Lastly, pour your favorite cooking oil over the minced garlic. We use extra-virgin olive oil and grape seed oil. You can either pour enough to cover the garlic or to fill up your jar. Filling up your jar would allow you excess garlic infused oil to skim off the top and drizzle over salads and pizzas or use as a sautéing oil, etc. If you aren't interested in that feature, just use enough oil to cover the garlic. Store the finished product in the refrigerator and your garlic is now ready to use for the week!

{Note: The mixture may solidify a little in the fridge when using certain oils (like extra virgin olive oil) but that doesn't hinder anything. In fact, it just makes it easier to measure out and will easily melt into your recipes like butter would.}

If a recipe calls for sautéed garlic, scoop out a few teaspoons of your mixture and add it to your sauté pan. If a salad dressing calls for some fresh garlic, measure out the required amount and conveniently prepare your dressing (here is a healthy homemade recipe). Add a spoon to your salsa for a delicious punch of flavor (the oil infusion will melt rapidly in the tomato mixture). Slather it onto warm bread for some quick garlic bread. I think you get the idea!

This makes it very easy to incorporate garlic into your meals for the week. The messy and tedious prep work is already done. We find we use more of this powerful herb when it is conveniently stored in the refrigerator. We usually make a weeks worth to maintain freshness. If you have a larger family, prepare a larger jar of this infusion and so forth. For best results, use up within 2 weeks.

"Regular consumption of garlic, a potent natural antibiotic, can help to prevent and treat infections of the lungs and is a traditional cure for coughs and colds. Garlic's antimicrobial effects also extend to the gut, and it can be helpful in the treatment of gastrointestinal infections. Furthermore, inclusion of garlic in the diet has also been shown to have a preventative effect against stomach and colorectal cancers. 

Garlic produces a number of beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, many of which have been confirmed by clinical trials. Garlic supplementation has been shown to lower cholesterol levels, prevent the hardening of arteries and lessen the risk of blood-clot formation. It can also help to reduce blood pressure as well as improve general circulation."

~ The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs by Reader's Digest

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