Recently, I wrote about planting garlic, and how now is the time to do it in the northern states. I mentioned that when I have a lot of garlic, I like to preserve it in oil. Not only does it allow you to store it pretty much forever (an ongoing theme of mine you may recognize by now), but it makes garlic far more digestible for those who have problems with it.
I would note however, that I wouldn’t dream of doing this with my homegrown garden garlic for a couple reasons. First, it’s so easy to peel the fresh stuff, that I don’t find myself cursing it like I do the store bought stuff. Second, it stores well through the winter months, so I usually run out of it.
I make garlic confit from store bought garlic that I buy already peeled. You can get mongo-sized jars from CostCo for pennies a clove, but I’ve also seen it at grocery stores and it still seems pretty reasonable, considering you would spend about nine hours peeling the same number of cloves yourself…
I would have waited until the waning days of winter to write this, which is when I usually find myself making the confit, but when I was working in the garden last weekend, turning the soil, I happened upon a few dozen tiny garlic cloves (and two red potatoes!) that were starting to sprout.
I have absolutely no idea where they came from. Left alone, they would have been delightful surprises come spring — albeit in the wrong place. But I wrenched them from the ground prematurely and didn’t have the time or the patience to lovingly replant them in a more appropriate place. That they had already sprouted small green shoots, meant that the center of the clove would likely be tough, so I decided to do a small batch of Garlic Confit. I post the directions for you now, in hopes that you will try it yourself.
First, peel and trim the root ends of a bunch of garlic.
Barely cover the cloves with delicious tasting olive oil.
I, personally, love both the taste and the price of CostCo’s Kirland brand. And before any of you judge me for shopping at CostCo and not pressing my own, you gotta hear this. I heard on Evan Kleiman’s GoodFood podcast that giving up meat just one day a week does more good for the enviornment than eating every single thing from local sources! I digress, but isn’t that amazing?
Cook over the lowest, lowest, lowest heat setting. The goal is to cook these guys for at least an hour without them getting too dark. I cooked mine (below) almost two hours due to those feisty center stems and as a result, they got a little more brown than normal.
Basically, you just want them to get as soft as butter. When that happens, they’re done.
Finally, pour the oil and the cloves into glass canning jars, or whatever container you like, and store in the refrigerator.
Use the cloves in place of raw garlic, use the oil for sauteing and subtle garlic flavoring. As usual, it keeps indefinitely!
In addition to being so quick to use for cooking, it also allows me to up the garlic quotient considerably in my recipes, since my husband is one of those vexing people who get stomachaches from eating raw garlic. It is true, I considered divorce.
Thank goodness I discovered Garlic Confit! It practically saved my marriage!
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Looks purty!!!!! Ok, I’ve got to asd a question. I LOVE shopping at Sams Club and they have the giant jars of fresh peeled garlic and I’ve always wanted to buy them. I’m scared because one time I did buy a bunch of garlic, peeled them myself, then I put the garlic (raw) into a nice bottle of olive oil. Well, after about a week in the cabinet, my lovingly, painstakingly peeled garlic turned a beautiful shade of blue. I seriously thought of keeping it (I hate to throw away any food) and try using it. But I didn’t because I was more worried of food poisoning my family. I’m sure it was best to throw away the garlic but can you put up raw garlic or do you need to cook it first? Also, (sorry), is your cooked garlic just like the roasted garlic that everyone is talking about? I’m definately going to try your method. It looks yummy. Thanks!!!!!!!!!
tooooo funny. I CAN help:
1) just because it turns blue, doesn’t mean that it isn’t JUST FINE!
1a) KIDDING! You can’t store fresh garlic in oil at room temp. It goes bad. In fact, many recipes for Garlic Confit say that you can store it at room temp. I don’t. I keep it in the fridge, cuz it’s just easier and safer. (who says I’m an unsafe cook?!). I do believe you could store raw garlic in oil in the refrigerator for much longer than the raw, peeled garlic would last on its own in the jar, but it, too, would eventually go bad. It would just take a lot longer. Maybe even a year? I don’t know.
2) This garlic tastes a lot like the roasted garlic you are reading about, but that stuff isn’t cooked in oil. Both are delicious delicious. (that’s double delicious). If I want a head of garlic to go alongside a roast to smear on bread and potatoes, I lop the top off a whole head and put it in the oven to roast. If I have a whole bunch of raw peeled garlic I want to keep indefinitely, I make confit.
Hope that helps!
I could have used this “recipe” earlier this fall, when I had LOTS of “over-ripe” garlic heads and little garlic cloves that had self-seeded. I salvaged some, but ended up throwing a lot away. Darn!!
Too bad! I have been using mine, a lot like the garlic you are describing here, and the central stem is still a little tougher. But way better than just throwing it away. The oil the garlic lives in is just as good as the garlic. (well almost!)
thx for sharing this one!
[...] clove fresh garlic minced or 3 cloves Garlic Confit [...]
I am just wondering how long it stays good in the fridge after you have processed it this way?
Hi Teresa!
Well, I’ve still got some of the last batch I made back in June of last year when my fresh finally ran out. I would say “forever!” But my husband would roll his eyes and say, “you always say that.” So how about 2 years. Which is basically the same thing, right?
This is an extremely dangerous practice! Garlic in oil infusions are a serious breeding ground for BOTULISM. Here’s a website explaining more:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/garlic-ail-eng.php
That’s why it is recommended to refrigerate!
Refrigerating it won’t help if you’re keeping it for a long time. From the link mike posted: “The trouble starts if you store homemade garlic-in-oil at room temperature, or if you keep it in the fridge for too long. These actions could allow growth of the spores that cause botulism, resulting in the production of toxin in the food.” (emphasis added)
Who keeps garlic that hasn’t been pickled for longer then two years even in the frig?! Any homegrown garlic at my house doesn’t last that long! I have been canning / pickling / making confit from homegrown garlic for YEARS and have never had a problem with botulism…ever. Never had any actually “go bad”. If you process and store it properly and safely, you won’t have to worry about it. For those of you that aren’t sure if you know how to do that, ask some one who does and if you’re just really afraid you’ll get sick, I suggest you buy the already processed stuff at the store and save yourself some grief.
Amen Blackfeet! And just so we are clear: garlic from the garden is rarely confit-ed. I usually run out of the garden variety. Then I buy a mambo bag of already peeled garlic at costco and do this with it. In fact, I just made a new batch last night. Taste like buttah! mmm.
I think there was confusion on the botulism. This stuff cooks for like two hours on a bubbling simmer. the moisture is cooked out and down. Then it is put in the fridge. I swear by it.