A bulb of garlic can easily keep for a year if hung in an airy place. However, if you have peeled garlic left over from cooking, freezing is a good option to preserve the garlic.
Garlic can be frozen chopped for easy portioning
Freeze peeled garlic
Freezing garlic is very easy: you should only freeze peeled garlic. You have the option of freezing the prepared cloves in one piece or chopping them beforehand. However, keep in mind that frozen garlic loses a lot of its aroma. The longer it sits in the freezer, the less flavor will remain.
Without further preparation, place the peeled garlic cloves in a freezer labeled with the freezing date, such as a freezer bag or box with a lid. The container goes well sealed in the *** freezer. If necessary, you can remove the required amount of garlic cloves and leave the rest in the freezer.
You should portion the chopped garlic so that you always have the amount you need. This works well in ice cube molds, for example: Put in the chopped garlic, place the mold in the freezer for at least two hours and then transfer the hard-frozen cubes to sealable freezer containers. You can take the garlic out of it in cubes.
Thaw and process garlic
If you want to use the garlic raw, for example in tsatsiki, slowly thaw the garlic cloves or minced garlic in the fridge. This protects it from harmful microorganisms that multiply at room temperature. If you still want to shred the cloves, it is best to cut them when they are semi-frozen.
To use the frozen garlic in a cooked dish, simply add the frozen diced garlic directly to the pan or saucepan. By heating it up in the dish, it retains more of its aroma than if it was thawed first.
Alternatives to freezing
Since garlic loses much of its flavor when frozen, this is not the best storage option.
- Freshly harvested garlic bulbs can be hung up by their greens and left to dry. In this way, without any further steps, the garlic can be stored for a year without losing its taste.
- You can put garlic that has already been peeled in olive oil. In this way it will keep for several months. In addition, the oil takes on the garlic taste and is ideal for refining salads or antipasti.
- Making a garlic paste with salt is suitable for use soon. Puree the peeled garlic, mix with plenty of salt and store the paste in a screw-top jar in the fridge for a maximum of two weeks. You can also boil the garlic paste to preserve it for several months.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
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