How To Make Garlic With Olive Oil
This article will talk you through how to make your very own roasted garlic in olive oil. The best part? You don’t need special equipment to do it! It can be done at home easily. Not only that, but it is cost-effective and better for the environment than buying pre-roasted or raw garlic.
Making our own roasted garlic isn’t new, people have been doing it since ancient times. In fact, there are many recipes made with this ingredient dating back thousands of years.
Most often, it was cooked down as “onions” or “scallions” and used as a flavour additive or spread like we use butter.
But what if we reinterpreted it? What if we gave it its own personality by adding other ingredients such as herbs and oils? That is what we will do here! Read on and watch the recipe come together.
Peel or not to peel
The first thing to do when prepping garlic is to decide whether to peel it or not. You will want to make sure that you remove all of the protective layers, but some people feel that leaving the skin on helps preserve the flavour.
It is totally up to you! Just remember that most of the health benefits of raw garlic are attributed to its quality, not its quantity.
So, depending on your personal taste, either one can be needed for full benefit.
Boil or not to boil
While boiling is the traditional way to make garlic in olive oil, that is not necessary! This process can be done either hot or warm depending on your preference. The only difference between doing it hot or warm is how you layer the ingredients as they blend together.
To make sure that all of the cloves get mixed into the oil, we recommend using a spoon to stir the mixture until it forms a smooth consistency. You will want to do this for several minutes to ensure full blending.
After mixing the garlic in the oil, you can then let it cool down before use.
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Let it sit for a bit
Allowing your garlic to soak in olive oil for an hour or so before using it will help it blend into the other ingredients more smoothly. The skin of raw garlic has a strong flavour, so leaving it to marinate longer removes that strength!
After letting it sit, mince the garlic as needed. Add it to boiling water, cook for one minute, and then drain.
Add olive oil
While this may sound like a tedious process, garlic in olive oil is one of our favourite cooking staples! This powerful flavour compound can be added to any recipe you would like.
Olive oils differ from other vegetable oils due to their high content of antioxidants called polyphenols. These antioxidants help prevent oxidative stress in your body, which has been linked to many health issues including heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
Many of the olive oils that are sold today have higher levels of these antioxidant compounds than others. They are also sometimes referred to as virgin or natural olive oils to emphasize this. You want to make sure your oil is solid at room temperature.
Once it does reach a liquid state, the polyphenol content will begin to degrade. The longer the oil is exposed to air, the lower its antioxidant strength will become. That’s why it is important to use cold water when you prepare fresh garlic in the first step of the method mentioned above.
Another way to ensure the potency of the olive oil and garlic combination you have is to store them both properly. Letting either layer dry down could decrease the effectiveness of the mixture. If needed, keep the two separate until you are ready to use each ingredient.
Mix well
While this may sound odd at first, once you give it a try, your loved ones will ask for your secret recipe! The best way to do this is by using a spoon and mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl or plate before rubbing the garlic into the oil.
When baking with olive oil, remember that it does not burn as easily as other oils like melted butter or vegetable oil, so make sure to mix it properly and evenly. When drying the cloves out, spread them around in an even layer to ensure they toast up and cook down equally.
Olive oil can be stored away from light and heat for a few months if needed, however, we recommend keeping it in a sealed container in the refrigerator to preserve its quality.
Use immediately
Although it may sound strange, olive oil can actually prevent garlic from going bad. This is because olive oil contains some antioxidants that stabilize the flavour of garlic.
You can keep a jar in your refrigerator at room temperature and use the oil up as soon as you peel off the skin of a fresh batch of chopped or crushed garlic.
Olive oil also helps preserve the health benefits of garlic, such as reducing blood pressure and improving heart function.
These factors make olive oil a worthy alternative to more common oils like coconut or vegetable.
Keep it in the fridge
Since olive oil has some flavour of its own, adding garlic to it can sometimes taste funny. The trick is to keep the raw garlic away from the oil until you need it in the recipe.
If you have ever made roasted garlic before, that should be your starting point for recipes. To roast garlic, simply remove all of the papery skin off the cloves and either mash or chop them very finely. Then, add these minced clods to an empty bottle of extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly.
This will soak up some of the liquid leftovers from the crushed garlic and you can then seal this mixture and put it in the refrigerator to use later.
Will it go bad?
Yes, garlic will lose its flavour as it ages. This is not necessarily a negative thing! As you can see from the above information, there are several ways to preserve or even create newer recipes with older minced garlic.
Older minced garlic in olive oil will last up to one year if kept in an airtight container in a refrigerator. If you want to use it sooner, just mix it with other ingredients.
You can also toast the cloves slightly to enhance their taste. Simply put them in a dry pan and cook them for a minute or two until they turn light golden brown.
