Easy Roasted Garlic Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between garlic confit and roasted garlic? ›

Unlike traditional oven-roasted garlic, garlic confit roasts slowly in oil, which minimizes browning to yield a sweeter, more mellow garlic flavor. Though this garlic confit recipe calls for thyme and bay leaves, you can customize the flavor notes by swapping these out for other herbs or by omitting them altogether.

The same goes for roasting garlic, by the way. A whole head of garlic that's been halved, rubbed with oil, and wrapped in foil then baked in an oven turns sweet, creamy, and spreadable. But keep the temperature no higher than 375˚F, or the outer edges will burn before it has time to soften.

Roasted garlic is a healthy and flavorful addition to any dish. It has many health benefits, including reducing inflammation, boosting immunity, and aiding digestion. Garlic is a member of the Allium family, which also includes onions, leeks, and shallots.

We recommend storing roasted garlic in a small, sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Or store in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you want the garlic cloves to remain whole, carefully peel off and discard the skins. Otherwise, for a mashed texture, squeeze roasted garlic out of the skins.

Garlic burns easily and when it has been cooked too long or on too high of a temperature, it will turn bitter.

Roasting old garlic will not give you the best, most flavorful results. Your roasted garlic will likely be bitter and dry instead of mild and slightly creamy, so check to make sure your garlic isn't past its prime. Garlic should be firm when gently squeezed.

However, when garlic is cooked at high heat or for too long, the allicin can break down into other compounds, some of which can be more volatile and can cause the garlic to burn. This can be especially true if the garlic is finely chopped or minced, as this can expose more of its surface area to the heat.

Leaving the skin on will help prevent the garlic drying from out in the oven. To prep whole garlic, simply slice off the top part of the head with a serrated knife. Next, gently peel away the first few layers of the outer skin. The tops of the cloves should be exposed, so that you can drizzle olive oil over them.

Depending on how long you roast (or how long you store the garlic) some of the smaller cloves might end up a bit dry, even sticky and chewy - it isn't something that bothered me - but the larger cloves were still soft and roasted and give good flavor, and they are much easier to peel this way.

Eating too much garlic will directly stimulate the digestive tract, which can damage the stomach lining. From there can cause symptoms of nagging, heartburn, flatulence even peptic ulcers. Allicin in garlic can cause hemolysis, leading to anemia.

Is it OK to eat roasted garlic every day? ›

A few words of caution

And, despite garlic's many health benefits, don't add too much to your diet too quickly. Overdoing it can cause discomfort, including upset stomach, bloating, diarrhea, body odor and bad breath.

Garlic is very good for health. If you eat the whole garlic; nothing bad will happen. It only contributes for the good of your health.

Don't worry. Garlic that turns green is completely safe. The colour is probably the result of a reaction between sulphur compounds and amino acids (building blocks of protein) that are naturally present in garlic.

For starters, fresh garlic is normally sold in heads, which are bulb-like and covered in whiteish papery skin. Remove the outer papery layer, and you'll see that one bulb is made up of many individual lobes that are also covered in papery skin. Each of these lobes is called a clove of garlic.

Pour extra virgin olive oil over the cloves. They should be completely covered and submerged. Cover tightly with a lid and store in your fridge. Roasted garlic will keep for up to 2 weeks (no longer) in the fridge if submerged in oil.

It will do wonders on any vegetable that only received a simple steaming, grilling, sautéing, or roasting. Smash it, puree it, pulverize it into a paste, or use the cloves on their own. Once you get started, you'll want to find a way to slip garlic confit into all your meals. (It's that special.)

Cooking affects the intensity, softening the sharpness and adding depth of flavor to the overall dish without being overwhelming. I prefer roasted garlic in recipes when I want a more mellow, slightly sweet flavor.

Not only is the flavor of roasted garlic phenomenal, but it also tends to be a bit easier on your stomach than fresh garlic. 😅 The flavor of roasted garlic is much more mellow and deep than fresh garlic, and it has a beautiful sweetness from the natural sugars that caramelize during the roasting process.

Unlike raw garlic, roasted garlic doesn't have any sort of bite. Its flavor is sweet, mellow, nutty, and rich. It also softens as it roasts, becoming tender, creamy, and spreadable. Blend it into a soup or a sauce, fold it into mashed potatoes, or spread it onto bread.