When and how to add garlic to a dish?
I want to make some chicken with ginger and garlic, and every recipe I look up puts the garlic in at a different time.
In Korean food, it is grated into the marinade.
In India food, it's mixed with ginger and ground into a paste that you cook down and then mix into curry.
In American cooking, you saute it after sauteing some onions in the fond/fat left behind after rendering the chicken.
In the specific Chinese dish I was looking at, you throw it in right at the end of stir-frying the pork. (video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhYEy3PA0RI).
In another thread on Cooking StackExchange, you flavor the oil in the beginning with it (no mention of taking it out).
So my question is, garlic do you determine when and how to add garlic to the dish?
I imagine the answer will be "depends what you want to taste", so if you can answer how it makes things taste, that would be great!
Best Answer
The key is to understand what impacts the flavor and texture of the ingredients your using. Then, to use the appropriate techniques to achieve the result you are looking for. If you keep a peeled clove of garlic whole it can have an aromatic effect if gently cooked in oil. Smash that clove and the effect is more powerful. Brown the clove, and you will get sweetened and caramelized notes...go to far, and it will take on a bitter note. Slice the clove and the effect will be different. Smash and chop (or grate)...more pronounced and more integrated. Roast without peeling...sweet. ...the list goes on...
Greater cooking experience will allow you to understand all of the potential nuances that different cutting, crushing and cooking (or not) of garlic can bring to a dish. Then, you can understand, adjust, and/or create the recipe you are looking for.
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When should you add garlic when cooking?
Onions and garlic must be cooked first so that it adds flavor to the oil. This way, the taste is absorbed better by the food that's being cooked, such as pork or beef. As stated earlier, onions go first and garlic later. The last-second inclusion of garlic in the cooking process allows for a more robust garlic flavor.How do you add garlic to a dish?
Heat the oil or butter over medium heat and then add the garlic. The garlic should be stirred often to prevent burning. If cooking with other ingredients that take longer to cook, such as onions, start cooking the other ingredients and allow them to start to cook before adding the garlic.How should garlic be when cooked?
Bake: Bake at 400\xb0F (205\xb0C) for 30-40 minutes, or until the cloves are lightly browned and feel soft when pressed. Cool and remove roasted garlic cloves from their skins: Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself.Should garlic be added at the end?
Burnt garlic has a very distinct, bitter and unpleasant taste. To prevent burning your garlic when cooking in a frying pan, always add it toward the end of your process.How to Use GARLIC Like an Italian | 4 Techniques for Better Garlic Flavor!
More answers regarding when and how to add garlic to a dish?
Answer 2
You add it whenever you feel like it.
The most important is that you do not let it burn.
The later you add the garlic to a dish, the more intense it will be.
And on the other side, the more you cook the garlic the less intense it will be.
As you wrote, each cuisine will have a different way to cook garlic; there is no single answer to your question.
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