Garlic
Jan 23, 2013 | 9:30 pm
#1
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Garlic
I love garlic, but I find that most (all?) restaurants that use it don't know the simple trick of removing the germ first. With the germ, the aftermath is just not pleasant. Without it, there's no problem.
Anyone else notice this?
Anyone else notice this?
Jan 23, 2013 | 11:27 pm
#5
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I had to look it up too. 
It turns out what I refer to as "sprout" is germ for garlic:
You learn something new everyday on FT.
There are restaurants that don't remove germ? 
I thought that's Cooking 101.
It turns out what I refer to as "sprout" is germ for garlic:
You learn something new everyday on FT.
I thought that's Cooking 101.
Jan 24, 2013 | 5:51 am
#6
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Wow, I love garlic and never knew about this. 
What exactly is wrong with this "germ?"
What exactly is wrong with this "germ?"
Jan 24, 2013 | 6:32 am
#7
Join Date: Aug 2005
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Well, congratulations on having the garlic gene anyway! I understand it's like licorice - you either love it or you hate it with no chance of it growing on you. I can't handle even a little bit. Had some black garlic recently that looked great. Couldn't stomach it.
Jan 24, 2013 | 6:53 am
#8
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all garlics are not the same. i presume the typical restaurant uses a powdered substance that comes from china. (heads from china are also at H-mart). a significant percentage of the stuff which are of different varities started in europe, and are now grown in truck farms all over the usa. i do not think most restaurants shuck and mince their own garlic. it is very time consuming project.
i planted garlic in my garden two years ago. planted two pounds, yield, maybe half a pound.
i planted garlic in my garden two years ago. planted two pounds, yield, maybe half a pound.
Jan 24, 2013 | 12:20 pm
#10
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Jan 24, 2013 | 1:08 pm
#11
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The germ appears in older garlic. If the bulb is very fresh, there won't be a germ. If the bulb has been sitting somewhere for a week, the germ appears. Germ doesn't develop in that pre-peeled garlic in a jar...maybe it's because it's packed in liquid?
I buy bulbs instead of pre-peeled stuff in a jar since I'm one of those stodgy types who agrees with Anthony Bourdain that if you don't have time to peel and chop your own garlic, you don't deserve garlic.
Jan 24, 2013 | 1:51 pm
#12
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one buys large bulbs, and plants individual cloves about a foot apart(i don't know why so far apart). i bought $30 of fancy seed garlic heads(2 lbs). took about a 4' by 16' space to plant them, got about a pound of garlic in return. one plants shallots the same way. i have great success with them.
Jan 24, 2013 | 2:22 pm
#13
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If you store garlic cloves in the cold, like the refrigerator, the germ will develop faster than if you don't.
Some people remove it and say it matters
Some leave it in and say it doesn't
Some believe it's the most flavorful part of the garlic and would never remove it
It affects different people in totally different ways.
Some people remove it and say it matters
Some leave it in and say it doesn't
Some believe it's the most flavorful part of the garlic and would never remove it
It affects different people in totally different ways.
Jan 25, 2013 | 9:51 am
#14
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I have a huge bag of garlic that's been in the fridge for a while. I just took out a piece and dissected it but couldn't find the "germ." It's already been peeled though.
Jan 25, 2013 | 10:42 am
#15
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all garlics are not the same. i presume the typical restaurant uses a powdered substance that comes from china. (heads from china are also at H-mart). a significant percentage of the stuff which are of different varities started in europe, and are now grown in truck farms all over the usa. i do not think most restaurants shuck and mince their own garlic. it is very time consuming project.
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