How to Preserve Garlic Paste

Make a large quantity of garlic paste so it's always on hand.

From garlic bread to vinaigrette, garlic paste has broad range of culinary applications. Eliminate the necessity of crushing or mincing garlic for paste each time you need it by making it in bulk and preserving it. Two methods of preservation include freezing, and oil and vinegar preservation. These methods will give your garlic paste a shelf life of 9 to 12 months, allowing you to take just the amount you need when you need it.

Things You'll Need

• Mini ice cube trays
• Rubber spatula
• Plastic freezer bag
• Permanent marker
• Jar with lid
• White vinegar
• Extra virgin olive or soybean oil
• Adhesive label

Instructions

Oil and Vinegar

1. Add the garlic paste to a glass gar with an airtight lid.

2. Fill the jar with white vinegar until it saturates approximately 1/3 of the garlic paste. The acidity of the vinegar will act as a preservative.

3. Fill the jar with extra virgin olive or soybean oil until the remainder of the garlic paste is covered.

4. Place the lid on the jar and shake well.

5. Stick an adhesive label on the jar and write an expiration date of 9 months in the future, using a permanent marker.

6. Store the jar of garlic paste in the refrigerator. Do not store the jar out of the refrigerator, as the combination of oil and garlic in room temperatures can create botulism.

Freezing

1. Force the paste into the cavities of a mini ice cube tray, using a rubber spatula. Wait at least 15 minutes after making the paste to put in the ice cube tray so the flavors and nutritional properties ignited by crushing the garlic have time to fully develop.

2. Place the trays in the freezer for 8 hours.

3. Crack the trays and empty the garlic cubes into a plastic freezer bag. Each cube will be the equivalent of one garlic clove.

4. Write an expiration date of 9 months in the future on the bag.

References

• Gourmet Garlic Gardens: Special Considerations for Preserving Garlic
• Practically Edible: Garlic