You Gotta Love Garlic

Besides the dreaded garlic breath, there really aren’t any bad things that come from adding more garlic to your diet.  More than just a flavorful herb added to food, garlic promotes overall well-being, so it definitely deserves a prominent place in your kitchen.

Even the Greeks fed garlic to their athletes before they competed in the Olympic games.

Garlic Remedies

You may actually be surprised at how it serves as a remedy for many ailments. Garlic (aka the “stinking rose”), which is part of the onion family, has been used as a natural medicinal ingredient for centuries.  It’s responsible for lipid-lowering, anti-blood coagulation, anti-hypertension, anti-cancer, antioxidant and anti-microbial effects.

Eating garlic seems to reduce the risk of developing colon, rectal and stomach cancers. It can keep those colds and flus at bay by boosting your immune system. It has anti-inflammatory properties, so add it to your diet if you have an auto-immune disease.  Try rubbing garlic oil directly on your skin where psoriasis persists.

Garlic has anti-fungal properties, too, which makes it the perfect remedy for Athlete’s Foot. Give those itchy feet a soak in garlic water to cut the fungus that causes athlete’s foot. Or, like the psoriasis cure above, rub raw garlic directly on your feet to cure the itch. Got a cold sore? Try applying crushed garlic directly to the affected area — it should help you feel better by cutting down the swelling.

Garlic is also good for your heart. Studies have shown that garlic can help with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and hardening of the arteries.

One old folk remedy suggests that garlic is good for drawing out stubborn, deep splinters. Place a slice of garlic over the splinter, then secure it to your skin with tape or a bandage as a cure. Garlic is also known to repel mosquitos, so keep some nearby when outdoors.

Finally, each clove of garlic contains small amounts of vitamins C, A, E and folate, antioxidants which destroy free radicals that can damage your cells, so pop a raw clove of garlic in your mouth for a quick boost. There are many suggested uses for garlic — from preventing tick bites to curing jock itch — that some may believe are old wives’ tales, but they are good to know just in case. Visit WebMD for all the uses, side effects, interactions and recommended doses.

Peeling Garlic

When it comes to peeling garlic, you probably have your own tried and true method for getting the desired result — a clean clove that’s ready to chop.  The last thing you want to do when peeling garlic is spend time trying to hand peel that resilient skin off with your fingertips.

Rather, try one of the methods below for quicker (and easier) results.

Knife Method

Most chefs would probably agree that one of the easiest way to peel garlic is to use the old knife method. First, you separate the garlic cloves from the garlic bulb. Then you take one clove, and remove the root end with a knife. Place the clove on a chopping board, and then place the side of a knife over the clove of the garlic and apply pressure (if need be, tap the knife).

Voilá!  The outer skin magically detaches from the garlic clove.

On their first try, most people don’t hit the blade hard enough and end up having to try it again two or three times. With enough practice, you’ll get the hang of it, knowing just how much force is needed so you only have to smash the knife blade once. Now just remove the skin/waste, and start chopping away or put it in a rolling garlic chopper.

Water Method

There’s another way to peel garlic which takes a bit more time and is a bit more boring.  Fully submerge the garlic clove in cold water for five minutes. Cut off both ends, and peel by hand.

Bowl Method

If you have a whole head of garlic to peel, you will save a lot of time by using the new bowl approach to peeling garlic.  It’s pretty incredible, and you don’t even need a knife!  By far, this two-bowl method is the coolest method…and one that the kids would enjoy too.

Finally, many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic immediately after crushing or chopping it. To maximize the health benefits, be sure to crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. Doing so triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.

Roasting Garlic

One best-kept secret for adding immense flavor to any soup is to use roasted garlic. But it can take up to an hour to roast garlic, so it makes that quick and easy soup more long an drawn out.  Unless, of course, you’ve thought ahead!

Did you know you can freeze roasted garlic so you will always have this sweet, aromatic ingredient at your fingertips? Whatever your technique for roasting garlic (baked whole, baked cloves and on the stovetop), let the garlic cool after roasting it and then remove any papery skins.

To freeze whole cloves, spread them out on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, store the cloves in a sealed plastic bag or container. You can also mash the roasted garlic and freeze it in teaspoon or tablespoon measures in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop out the cubes and store them in a sealed plastic bag or container.

The next time you find yourself making a homemade pasta sauce or momma’s mashed potatoes, pop one of those frozen garlic cubes into the recipe, and your friends and family will go wild over the taste.

Storing Fresh Garlic

Storing your garlic in favorable conditions helps to maintain its healing properties and flavor.

Whole bulbs of store-bought garlic will keep for several months when stored at room temperature in a dry, dark place that has ample air circulation. Keep in mind, however, that garlic’s lifetime decreases once you start removing cloves from the bulb.

Storing garlic uncovered, such as in a wire-mesh basket inside your cupboard or beneath a small overturned clay pot is ideal.

Geting Rid of the Garlic Smell

After you have finished handling garlic, wash your hands with soap and then rub a clean spoon all over your hands (even in between fingers), and the smell will be gone.

When it comes to garlic breath, recognize that garlic stays in your lungs for 24-48 hours after you eat it, so it’s not as simple as washing your mouth out or brushing your teeth (since it isn’t just in your mouth).

Some other suggestions include drinking home-made lemonade (or if you’re brave, eat a lemon), drinking green tea, running a stainless steel teaspoon on the inside of your mouth (touching all the skin surfaces including your tongue), swoosh a teaspoon of mustard around your mouth for about a minute, drink milk before your garlic-infused meal and chew some mint gum (or eat fresh parsley or mint).

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You can see why we recommend garlic as a staple in your diet. Besides all the remedies and cures mentioned above, it tastes really good, adding immense flavor to many home-cooked meals.