Things You'll Need:
- Paring, butcher, or other kitchen knife
- Food chopper
- Garlic press
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Step 1
Purchase a fresh garlic bulb that has no noticeable sprouting or dark spots. Dark spots can be an indication that the the cloves inside the thin skin holding them together are bad or going bad. The flavor of sprouted garlic is harsh.
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Step 2
Crush, mince, or press fresh garlic and you will notice that the flavor is more intense than whole garlic cloves. This is partly due to the juices.
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Step 3
Purchase and use a garlic press to crush garlic cloves if you are using fresh garlic in a recipe.
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Step 4
Use the flat side of a paring or other sharp knife when peeling garlic cloves. Placing the flat side of the blade on top of the garlic clove and hit it with your fist. This separates the the very thin papery skin from the clove so that you can easily peel it away.
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Step 5
Remove the skin and you can carefully chop, mince, or dice the individual cloves, preferably with a blender, chopping utensil, or food processor.
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Step 6
Store whole heads of garlic in a cool, dark, and well ventilated place up to eight weeks. Once separated from the garlic head, individual cloves will keep for about ten days.
