Roasted garlic

Roasted garlic is delicious on toasted French bread or added to a sauce, and it's easy to make. Here are three simple methods to do it at home.

Step 1: You'll Need. . .

- whole heads/bulbs of garlic (make sure to get nice, tight heads with the skin still on them and as intact as possible)
- some salt
- a bit of olive oil

Depending on the method described that you want to try:
method 1: a store-bought garlic roasting device
method 2: some aluminum foil
method 3: a small terracotta pot and saucer - make sure that the pot when inverted fits within the saucer snugly

Comments

[Shakeysister]

Thank you for these suggestions. I love roasted garlic for our mashed potatoes but dislike the energy waste of roasting garlic only when I need it. I stocked up on fresh garlic on sale today and am roasting a delicious batch of it now! The compound butter sounds perfect.

[shesparticular]

So glad it helped out!

[Derelict]

I put a whole bulb in a small glass dish, pore a little water over it then drain, cover with cling wrap and nuke for 1 minute.. The garlic is nice and tender and can be mashed with a fork and mixed with butter for garlic toast. I just eat the whole bulb right away though :) As an aside, I have not had a cold or the flu in years and the only time I reek of garlic is when I have been drinking beer instead of my normal water. It is my understanding that you only smell of garlic when you are passing impurities.

[shesparticular]

I never thought to try steaming garlic this way - I'll have to give it a shot. Maybe it would also work adding cloves (instead of the whole bulb) in a dish with some veggies and then steaming the whole lot.

[mousewrites]

I've never done a whole bulb, but I have nuked veggies with pealed garlic cloves. As I don't nuke very long (crunchy veggies ftw) they don't become the buttery soft loveliness that roasting gives you, but they are tasty. A longer trip in the rice cooker (which we use for steaming veggies) is also a easy way to soften garlic... but again, not quite as good as the oven. :D Awesome instrucable. I'm going to try the terracotta pot soon.

[shesparticular]

Thanks so much! The tiny pots and saucer (I think they're about 2.5" tall) are perfect for one clove, but you could probably put a few in a larger pot.

[ahavajora]

Is there an advantage of using this garlic roaster over foil/parchment paper?

[shesparticular]

I offered the three methods (store-bought roaster, foil, and a small terracotta pot and saucer) to show that no, there is not much of a difference really in the result and that the same cooking temperature and time can be used with all three. It's really a matter of what one has available or would like to use.

[wupme]

Instead of smashing it, i (and most cooks) would recommend cutting it to fine squares with a really sharp knive. That way the Garlic won't start to oxidate ( wich makes it taste bitter). Only smash it if you intend to use it instantly in a soup or something. On the other hand, if used instantly, a press gives the most flavor.... Yeah, so it depends on the situation wich method to use. But know i'm hungry, i'm gonna roast myself some garlic :-)

[shesparticular]

In terms of fresh garlic, yes, I would also recommend chopping it to prevent oxidation - however I don't tend to cut (or even peel) garlic until I'm going to use it. Usually rather than smashing it, I grate it or chop it. However, with garlic that has been roasted, I don't think that oxidation is an issue - at least not that I've ever seen.

[wupme]

It can happen with roasted garlic. To be honest, its rare, but i've seen it happen. I'm somebody who always trys to stay on the safe side and don't such things a chance to happen ;-)

[shesparticular]

Just to note, the suggestion of crushing or smashing the garlic here is after it's roasted, and it is then suggested to put it in a container where it is covered with olive oil or to mix it with softened butter. In either case, as it is surrounded by a lipid, it would not be possible for air to get to the surface of the garlic, and so it cannot oxidize.

[impulse94]

I used to have a garlic roaster and I recall it saying to put the garlic in cut side down. This causes the garlic to absorb the oil and salt and creates a little caramelization on the contact side. You'd have to adjust the cooking time but the end result is quite tasty.

[arbitrarylogic]

Surprising how something so simple makes a wonderful addition to just about anything! Also, as a proponent of better living through chemistry, I can appreciate those scientifically labeled salt and pepper shakers in the first step. :]

[shesparticular]

Thanks, arb - they are pretty great, aren't they? My knives are from the same company (Fred) and are in the background of some of the shots, though I don't think they're all that clear. Both are available from Think Geek and other stores - http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/a3f6/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/86dd/