Kitchen Tip: Don’t Freeze Chopped Garlic

June 18, 2008

I got this tip from the July and August 2008 Cook’s Illustrated and found it interesting. When garlic is chopped, the compound allicin forms. Alliin reacts with allinase to produce allicin as a defense mechanism against insects and fungi. Unfortunately, allicin quickly breaks down after it forms, usually in 1-6 days. Therefore, once you chop garlic, you need to use it as quickly as possible. Cook’s Illustrated found frozen chopped garlic to be significantly less flavorful than fresh.

I always look at garlic and ginger as similar products, but, ginger freezes quite well. I followed some advice from a commenter and froze some peeled ginger, and it remained fragrant and flavorful when I finally cooked with it. So, this is just one more reason to always keep fresh garlic on hand - substitutes and frozen can’t compare.

Posted in Food Science, Kitchen Tips |