Roasted Garlic: Technique, Equipment

[Suzanne F]

In a recipe for Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes linked to from this thread on "Potato Madeleines", we find the standard instruction to trim off 1/4 inch from the end of the head of garlic before wrapping in foil and roasting.

I have always used the "separate the individual cloves, peel (or not), and coat with a little oil" roasting method. So I have never understood why this . . . um . . . circumcision is done (other than for presentation of the whole head). But if one is simply going to puree all the roasted garlic, why cut?

Can someone please enlighten me?

[iriee]

if you trim a 1/4 inch off then after roasting all you have to do is squish the root end and all the garlic comes right out. it just makes it easier!

[andiesenji]

Also, sometimes the garlic has more moisture inside and the outside skin will shirnk as the interior expands and the cloves will split on the sides and it gets a bit messy. Note that often when roasting an entire head the cloves will have pushed up slightly out of the outer skin.

[peppyre]

I usually just wrap the entire bulb in tinfoil, without trimming and without adding any oil or salt and pepper, and find that once roasted it tends to just slip off the hard bottom "root" (not sure what you would call that) end. I've tried the snipping method and have found that not doing anything works just as well, and isn't quite as messy.

[bleudauvergne]

peppyre and I do the same thing. I always figured people trimmed for aesthetic reasons since I've never had a problem with mess with my roasted garlic and I don't trim. Since I usually save my roasted garlic for flavoring various soups and sauces and I don't present it in its jacket, it doesn't matter to me. Perhaps when roasting fresh garlic, the trimming would be helpful.

[chef koo]

the main reason is convinience. after the whole garlic head is roasted the flesh becomes very soft and if you try and cut the top off it'll be much more difficult and also alot messier.

[Chef Metcalf]

Baking the garlic in tinfoil has never made much sense to me. It gets too mushy.

We like to add the whole roasted cloves to numerous dishes so I cook up large batches.

I buy two pound bags of garlic and toss it into boiling water for about 5-7 minutes and then shock them in cold water.

After cutting off the bottom root, you can easily pop the bulbs out from the skin (kind of like when you are blanching to peel tomatoes).

Then toss in olive oil and spread on a large cookie sheet (one layer only) and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes till golden.

Cool and then place the cookie sheet into the freezer.

Once frozen, place into small containers or sandwich bags in the freezer and pull them out whenever you need some roasted garlic.

No frozen taste to it at all either and it keeps for about three months.

Yes....we eat a lot of garlic.

cm

[memesuze]

on the subject of staying power: how long should I safely be able to use roasted garlic when kept in the fridge - is it a rank smell or growing stuff question?

[Della]

Whenever I roast my garlic I just put in a very small baking dish, barely cover w/water and a splash of olive oil and cover. Bake at 400 for about 30 - 45 depending on when I check on it. I have tried the foil thing and it just burns on me.

As for storage - I have kept it for as long as a week in the fridge. But it ususally doesn't last that long.

[paul o' vendange]

We just remove the outer, obviously papery/loose skin, dribble with oil, then cover with foil and bake to tender; then expose the heads and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. We then pass everything through a food mill, then a tamis, but I would surmise a sieve would work as well.

Paul

[deltadoc]

We just remove the outer, obviously papery/loose skin, dribble with oil, then cover with foil and bake to tender; then expose the heads and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.  We then pass everything through a food mill, then a tamis, but I would surmise a sieve would work as well.

Paul

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I start out the same removing the obviously papery/loose skin, spread some olive oil on thick aluminum foil, rub the whole bulbs in the OO, leave root side down, sprinkle with a bit of S&P, fold the foil over tightly, lay it on a cookie sheet at about 350 for up to an hour depending on size of bulbs, let cool, use a serrated tomato knife to saw off the tops, squeeze into a bowl, add a bit more olive oil, S&P, lemon juice, whip into a nice spreadable paste, transfer to a glass bowl, squeeze a bit more lemon juice on the top surface, cover, and it lasts quite a long time in the fridge.

Love to use it on sourdough slices alone, or additionally add some goat cheese and maybe some raisin-apple chutney and make a real appetizer out of it.

doc

[CharityCase]

Wha? I just stick cloves in the toaster oven and take them out when they look done. score the skin and take the cooked clove out and do what you need with/to it.

Must be those crazy Sous Vide people who put so much science into it :)

[lmarshal1]

I love roasted garlic but have never done it myself. I have seen little roasters just for garlic but am too cheap to spend $18 for something I won't use that much. One I saw appeared to be just terra cotta. Does anyone have one of these? How do they hold up in an oven? Would a brand-new terra cotta flower pot (with the drainage hole used as an escape for steam) and saucer (the next size larger in order to fit the overturned pot) work? Would it need to be oiled? Or soaked in water beforehand? Or would it crack or explode? Thanks. lkm

[JohnnyH]

Slice the top off a head of garlic, exposing the topless cloves. Douse the head liberally with olive oil and wrap loosely with aluminum foil, forming a tent. Roast at 350 for roughly 20 minutes.

No; in my opinion a separate roasting gadget isn't worth it.

[lmarshal1]

I just did a little search on garlic roasters. Found a fancy one for $50. No way. Little terra cotta ones were in the $10-20 range. Most seem to be unglazed except for the inside of the "saucer." One suggested soaking the top to avoid cracks. The others didn't mention this. Some mentioned using oil on the cloves themselves. I wonder if an overturned 3- or 4-inch clay flower pot on a glazed shirred-egg dish would work. Thanks johhnyH for the comment. I'm with you on not wasting money on seldom-used gadgets, but the terracotta flowerpot idea appealed to me. Thanks for time and temperature. lkm

[andiesenji]

Someone gave me one of the large garlic roasters a few years ago. I never used it and I think it was passed along to one of the neighbors who uses it in his smoker.

If I want to roast a single head of garlic I just slice off the top, place it in the center of a piece of foil, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with a little kosher salt, wrap it with the foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 375-400 degrees F.

However I usually simply roast peeled garlic cloves in olive oil, no need to use extra virgin but it does need to be fresh, no hint of rancidity.

I roast the garlic cloves in the oil for a long time at a low temprature ("perfumes" the entire house and the neighborhood), then transfer it to a large gar with a tight fitting lid and store at room temp.

When I want some roasted garlic I simply use a slotted ladle and dip out as many cloves as I need. I also use the oil for cooking, dipping, etc.

I like that the stuff is always available with no delays.

I often simply buy one of the big containers of peeled garlic at CostCo or Sam's Club and use the entire cartion with a gallon of oil.

I cook it in the oven in a 6-quart Corning pot.

[eje]

I roast the garlic cloves in the oil for a long time at a low temprature ("perfumes" the entire house and the neighborhood), then transfer it to a large gar with a tight fitting lid and store at room temp. 

←

andiesenji,

I don't want to sound shrill; but, please do not continue to do this. You've been lucky so far; but, there is a very real risk of botulism storing a low acid vegetable under oil at room temperature.

http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/garlic.htm

"STORING GARLIC IN OIL

Extreme care must be taken when preparing flavored oils with garlic or when storing garlic in oil. Peeled garlic cloves may be submerged in oil and stored in the freezer for several months. Do not store garlic in oil at room temperature. Garlic-in-oil mixtures stored at room temperature provide perfect conditions for producing botulism toxin (low acidity, no free oxygen in the oil, and warm temperatures). The same hazard exists for roasted garlic stored in oil. At least three outbreaks of botulism associated with garlic-in-oil mixtures have been reported in North America."

[andiesenji]

I roast the garlic cloves in the oil for a long time at a low temprature ("perfumes" the entire house and the neighborhood), then transfer it to a large gar with a tight fitting lid and store at room temp. 

←

andiesenji,

I don't want to sound shrill; but, please do not continue to do this. You've been lucky so far; but, there is a very real risk of botulism storing a low acid vegetable under oil at room temperature.

←

I believe they are referring to garlic that is roasted and then stored in oil that has not been roasted.

Roasting the peeled garlic cloves IN the oil for the long periods at the temperatures as I do, will kill the bacteria and inactivate any toxin that may have been produced on the garlic itself.

WHO has the definitive information as does the USDA and any Farm Bureau office which has publications regarding this.

Note the following taken from the WHO document.

"The toxin is destroyed by normal cooking processes (heating at >85?C for five minutes or boiling for a few minutes). Clostridium botulinum will not grow, and therefore the toxin will not be formed in acidic foods (pH less than 4.6). However, the low pH will not inactivate any preformed toxin."

As long as no new source for the bacteria is introduced to the roasted oil and garlic, it will be fine.

If I am going to can the roasted garlic in oil for long-term storage, I process it in a pressure canner.

I researched this in detail prior to my first trial at it many years ago and did indeed consult the library at CalPoly Pomona and UC Davis.

The WHO document also states: "This happens most often in lightly preserved foods such as fermented, salted or smoked fish and meat products and in inadequately processed home canned or home bottled low acid foods such as vegetables. The food traditionally implicated differs between countries and will reflect local eating habits and food preservation procedures. Occasionally, commercially prepared foods are involved"

Note that roasting the garlic IN the oil for 3 hours at 275 degrees is more than enough to kill any bacteria and inactivate any toxin. The oil is boiling during much of this time.

[pam claughton]

I agree with what the others have said. Save your money on the ceramic roaster, unless you really, really want it. You don't need it. Just plop the garlic in tin foil, add a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, twist it up, and throw it in the oven.

:) Pam

[eje]

I believe they are referring to garlic that is roasted and then stored in oil that has not

Note that roasting the garlic IN the oil for 3 hours at 275 degrees is more than enough to kill any bacteria and inactivate any toxin.  The oil is boiling during much of this time.

←

You are of course correct. 240 degrees F is the minimum required temp to destroy the spores, and as long as your jar is sterilized and no new source of contamination is introduced, it is fine. Personally, I would still keep it in the fridge.

Didn't mean to doubt your knowledge about preserving. I just read your post and shivered, since you didn't mention any best practices for preserving low acid foods under oil.

Erik

[lmarshal1]

Thanks for the helpful comments. I'm thinking of roasted garlic Alfredo. Yum. lkm

[andiesenji]

I believe they are referring to garlic that is roasted and then stored in oil that has not

Note that roasting the garlic IN the oil for 3 hours at 275 degrees is more than enough to kill any bacteria and inactivate any toxin.  The oil is boiling during much of this time.

←

You are of course correct. 240 degrees F is the minimum required temp to destroy the spores, and as long as your jar is sterilized and no new source of contamination is introduced, it is fine. Personally, I would still keep it in the fridge.

Didn't mean to doubt your knowledge about preserving. I just read your post and shivered, since you didn't mention any best practices for preserving low acid foods under oil.

Erik

←

I have been canning and preserving for more than 50 years and take every precaution to avoid having anything even remotely harmful in my pantry.

[Shalmanese]

I like to roast whole heads because then I don't have to worry about peeling them. Just squeeze them out like toothpaste. I like to mix them about 50/50 with either olive oil (for liquid spreads) or butter (for solid spreads). I put the OO ones in mini-squeeze bottles for easy dispensing and do the plastic wrap trick for butter ones to make garlic butter medallions.

[deltadoc]

I love roasted garlic but have never done it myself.  I have seen little roasters just for garlic but am too cheap to spend $18 for something I won't use that much.  One I saw appeared to be just terra cotta.  Does anyone have one of these?  How do they hold up in an oven?  Would a brand-new terra cotta flower pot (with the drainage hole used as an escape for steam) and saucer (the next size larger in order to fit the overturned pot) work?  Would it need to be oiled?  Or soaked in water beforehand?  Or would it crack or explode?  Thanks.  lkm

←

I have a garlic roaster, and have never used it. I just take some heavy gauge aluminum foil, dribble some olive oil on it, take whole heads of garlic and rotate them thoroughly in the olive oil, adding more as necessary. Sprinkle with S&P. Wrap tightly (fold over all four sides and make sure they are sealed), but not so tightly that the garlic heads push through the aluminum foil.

I then place it on a cookie sheet, put it in the oven at 350 for about 50 minutes. Time can vary depending on the "roastedness" you are looking for.

Then when they are cool enough to touch, I unwrap the aluminum foil, squeeze out the garlics into a little glass bowl. I then add a bit more olive oil, some lemon juice, some S&P, and mix thoroughly into a paste. I add a bit more fresh lemon juice to cover the surface of the paste, and put the plastic cover on the bowl and put it in the frigerator. It lasts up to 3 weeks, well, um, it could last up to 3 weeks, but I use it up pretty quickly!

I disagree with the theory that roasting the garlic in the olive oil, and leaving at room temperature. If you NEVER open the jar, then it is probably sterile. But the poster indicated that they dipped into the jar whenever they wanted some garlics, and that it the point where bacteria "could" be introduced.

In biology, a sterile agar in a cover glass petri dish remains moldless, but once you open it, pretty soon stuff starts growing in it.

doc

[andiesenji]

I disagree with the theory that roasting the garlic in the olive oil, and leaving at room temperature.  If you NEVER open the jar, then it is probably sterile.  But the poster indicated that they dipped into the jar whenever they wanted some garlics, and that it the point where bacteria "could" be introduced.

In biology, a sterile agar in a cover glass petri dish remains moldless, but once you open it, pretty soon stuff starts growing in it.

doc

←

But, unless you stick some raw garlic or something else that could have come in contact with botulism spores, it will not be that particular and very dangerous bacteria.

The only thing that is dipped into the oil is a stainless slotted ladle that is plunged into boiling water before it goes into the jar. There are very few bacteria that can colonize oil and oil inhibits the growth of yeasts and most molds.

I have never had any incidence of mold forming in a jar. The garlic itself does not float, remains at the bottom of the jar.

When I worked in a lab, we had to be careful that our culture media never got any kind of oil or grease on the surface and the wire loops used to streak the plate had to be flamed before being dipped into the material to be cultured so that there would be no oil or grease transferred to the media, because the colonies would not grow where there was oil.

We used streaks of vaseline to quarter some of the plates to keep colonies confined and to see if they would "bloom" and daughter colonies would be carried across the barriers.