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Storage and Use of Garlic
When you buy your garlic, choose heads that are firm with no nicks or soft cloves. If you see a powdery patch under the skin, forget it because it's an indication of a mold, which will spoil the flesh. You can store fresh unpeeled garlic in an open container in a cool dry place. The key to a long shelf life is leaving it where air can circulate freely around it. As garlic ages, it will produce green sprouts in the center of each clove. These green sprouts can be bitter, so discard them before chopping the garlic for your recipe. Properly stored garlic can keep for months. Garlic can also be purchased in oil, either whole cloves or minced. When it is stored in oil you have to refrigerate it to avoid potentially deadly bacteria growth. Now if you want to save a little time, you can pre-peel and store your own in olive oil in the fridge. But to get the best flavor from garlic, use freshly peeled cloves. You can dehydrate it also but if you are a true member of the Stinkin Rose Club it will not be around that long. Don't even think of using garlic powder, garlic salt, or garlic extract, it's just not the same. But if you have to 1 average-size clove = 1/2tea. garlic salt or 1/8 tea. dehydrated, powdered, minced or chopped garlic

To peel a clove of garlic, place it on a cutting board, and gently press down quickly with a cleaver or the flat side of a butcher knife. The skin should easily peel off now. If the skin is still giving you a hard time coming off, great! That means you have some of the freshest garlic. As garlic gets older, it starts to shrivel up inside the skin, thus making it easier to peel. If you have to peel larger quantities of garlic, drop them into boiling water for a minute then drain. Now they should peel rather easily. You can also nuke em for about five seconds to get the same effect If you are having a tough time getting those tiny pieces up off the cutting board, you can add the salt required for your recipe directly into the minced garlic while on the cutting board. The salt will absorb the juices and make it easier to scoop the pieces off the board.

Ok so now we have our garlic peeled. Her are a few tips on cooking with the Stinkin Rose. Believe it or not, just one raw clove put through a garlic press or finely minced releases more flavor than a dozen-cooked cloves. When garlic is cooked the flavor mellows out into a sweet, almost nutty flavor. This sweet and nutty flavor makes for a surprisingly nice addition to deserts, like cookies and brownies, even ice cream. When sautéing garlic, be careful not to burn it. The flavor will turn intensely bitter, and you should start over. One easy rule of thumb regarding the potency of garlic is; The smaller you cut it, the stronger the flavor.