Cooking garlic first helps to release its flavor and aroma, making it a staple ingredient in many savory dishes.
A more thorough response to your query
Cooking garlic first helps to release its flavor and aroma, making it a staple ingredient in many savory dishes. As Harold McGee, author of “On Food and Cooking,” explains, “Cooking transforms the flavor of garlic from raw and harsh to nutty and sweet, rendering it less a pungent spice than a subtle background flavor.”
Here are some interesting facts about garlic:
Garlic has been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes for thousands of years.
In Ancient Egypt, garlic was worshipped and used medicinally. It was also given to the workers who built the pyramids to improve their strength and ward off illness.
Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
There are over 300 varieties of garlic around the world.
Garlic is a member of the allium family, which also includes onions, shallots, and leeks.
A helpful table to reference when cooking with garlic:
Preparing Garlic
Characteristics
Cooking Techniques
Raw
Pungent
Best used in dressings and sauces.
Sautéed
Nutty, sweet
Adds depth of flavor to soups, stews, and sautés.
Roasted
Sweet, mellow
Delicious spread on bread or used in dips.
Fried
Crispy, nutty
Great for adding texture to dishes such as pastas and salads.
In sum, cooking garlic first is crucial for unlocking its full flavor potential. From its long history of use to its various preparation methods, garlic remains an essential ingredient in many dishes across the world.
Associated video
Madeline from Lakeside Table offers a quick tip on cooking with garlic and onions in a YouTube video titled “How to Cook with Garlic and Onions | Tips for Sauteing.” She suggests browning the onions before adding the garlic since garlic burns at a lower temperature than onions. After adding the garlic, she advises turning down the heat and cooking it until it’s just soft to prevent a bitter taste. You can find more cooking tips and tricks on the Lakeside Table website.
So, when do you saute the garlic? Why, after the onion! Onion is the first to go in the pan because it needs time to become translucent, meaning it’s cooked, which takes about 10 minutes. Garlic, on the other hand, cooks quickly and burns easily, so introduce it after the onion is cooked.
I am confident you will be intrigued
What is the purpose of sautéing garlic?
Sauteing garlic gives the garlic a depth of flavor. Fresh whole garlic is pungent and strong. Sauteing the garlic softens the flavor but also enhances it at the same time. The longer that you saute the garlic, the milder the flavor will be.
Should garlic always be cooked?
Whether they’re being used in a quick stir fry or as the base for a soup or sauce, both onions and garlic need to be cooked at least little to get rid of their raw bite. However, while onions benefit from a longer cooking time, garlic will quickly burn and become acrid if cooked the same way.
Should I cook garlic before adding to soup?
Response: While certain vegetables can work just fine added directly to simmering soups and stews (say, carrots and celery), other vegetables (onions, garlic, and the like) will almost always need at least a brief sweat in a fat-based liquid before adding the remaining ingredients.
What happens if you don't saute onions?
As a response to this: A pan’s temperature can get much higher than boiling water, which is why you saute them first. If you try to make onion soup without sauteing them first they’ll soften, but they’ll never lose that raw onion flavor, and you won’t get the sweetness or depth of flavor from the maillard reactions.
What happens if you put garlic in first?
Just a quick sidenote: if you put the garlic in from the beginning, it might burn, leaving a bitter taste to your dish. When you prepare the onions first you bring out the sugars of the onion by carefully caramelizing it.
Why do you saute garlic first?
Answer to this: Sauteing garlic first allows the flavor of the garlic to become enhanced and active for cooking. After being cooked, raw garlic can sometimes have a harsh or bitter taste to some people so sauteing prevents this from happening. Garlic is known to create foam when cooked, which occurs due to the air inside of it expanding while being heated up.
How long do you cook garlic first?
Having said that, when doing a quick stir fry or similar dish, you can throw in the garlic first for 10-20 seconds so that it flavours the oil. The general rule is onions first. Sauté the garlic towards the end for 30-ish seconds before removing from the heat.
Is it OK to fry garlic first?
Garlic burns easily, especially when finely chopped or crushed, so in general should not be fried as long as onion. Having said that, when doing a quick stir fry or similar dish, you can throw in the garlic first for 10-20 seconds so that it flavours the oil. The general rule is onions first.
What happens if you put garlic in first?
Just a quick sidenote: if you put the garlic in from the beginning, it might burn, leaving a bitter taste to your dish. When you prepare the onions first you bring out the sugars of the onion by carefully caramelizing it.
Why do you saute garlic first?
The reply will be: Sauteing garlic first allows the flavor of the garlic to become enhanced and active for cooking. After being cooked, raw garlic can sometimes have a harsh or bitter taste to some people so sauteing prevents this from happening. Garlic is known to create foam when cooked, which occurs due to the air inside of it expanding while being heated up.
How long should garlic sit before cooking?
Response: But letting garlic sit for 5-10 minutes after crushing or cutting it may help boost levels. So before you start cooking your garlic straight away, try this simple tip: crush your garlic first. Since finding out this health-promoting info, I now always slice, dice, and smoosh my garlic first.
Is it OK to fry garlic first?
The response is: Garlic burns easily, especially when finely chopped or crushed, so in general should not be fried as long as onion. Having said that, when doing a quick stir fry or similar dish, you can throw in the garlic first for 10-20 seconds so that it flavours the oil. The general rule is onions first.
