There’s a reason it’s often said you can’t have too much garlic–it adds a flavorful punch and a richness that’s hard to find in any other ingredient. Although garlic may have its benefits, for most home cooks, the task of mincing can be a chore.
Pre-minced garlic jars from the store can seem to be the best option for most. In spite of this, it does have its limitations, including lackluster flavor and added ingredients that help keep it shelf-stable.
When it comes to convenience, frozen garlic pucks are next in line. Even though they’re marginally better than jarred garlic, they also have their issues. Store-bought frozen garlic is drenched in water, so it offers little to nothing in the flavor department. Yet, it’s easier to toss in the pan.
So, what is a garlic-loving home cook left to do? With her brilliant cooking hack, TikTok user @boufamilykitchen shows us how to ditch store-bought garlic while still saving time mincing up fresh cloves.
How To Switch Up Your Garlic Game
According to the creator at Bou Family Kitchen, this simple garlic hack solves the issue between convenience and flavor. So how do you get started? They recommend starting with quite a bit of garlic, around 250 raw cloves, which will be added to a food processor. Although, they mention that they do blend the cloves in two batches. So, don’t try to do blend it all at once!
They add a touch of salt and a healthy amount of olive oil to the cloves in the blender. “Please don’t forget the olive oil, or any oil that you prefer,” they say. “Just make sure that you know it doesn’t have a strong taste. But ultimately, the olive oil is going to help the garlic, though frozen, stay at least a little bit soft,” they explain.
Afterward, the garlic mixture is poured into silicone molds (like this one available on amazon.com) and frozen. As a result, they create bite-sized garlic blocks that are ready to cook. The end result is a pungent block of garlic that can be thrown into any dish you’re whipping up rather than a watery grocery store garlic cube.
Another bonus of the olive oil is that the blocks are easy to cut, as each cube (if made as directed) will contain about seven cloves of garlic. If prepping a smaller dish, simply cut it in half (or even in forths) to get the exact amount of garlic desired. Leftover garlic can be stored in a freezer-safe bag or dish for easy access.
It’s that simple! And as it appears, that game-changing as well.