Why Should You Wait Ten Minutes Before Cooking Garlic?
A whole garlic clove barely smells at all: its aroma only appears once you crush it. Here we explain which garlic to buy, when to use it raw, what is known about its health effects and which common homemade mistake can cause food poisoning.
Why garlic smells when you crush it
Whole garlic gives off hardly any smell. Its distinctive aroma develops when its cells are broken, for example when you crush or chop it.
At that moment, an enzyme called alliinase gets to work. This enzyme converts alliin into allicin, the compound responsible for garlic's pungency. This process is the key to getting the most aroma out of it, as you will see at the end.
The three types of garlic you will find at the market
White garlic is the most common and keeps the longest. It is the right choice for sofrito and long-simmered stews.
Purple garlic, such as the variety from Las Pedroñeras, is more aromatic and pungent. It is ideal eaten raw, in aioli or in ajoblanco.
Black garlic is not a variety. It is ordinary garlic kept for weeks in hot, humid conditions. It darkens through the Maillard reaction, becomes sweet and loses almost all of its bite. And, despite what is often said, it is not fermented.
How to cook garlic without ruining the dish
If you are going to cook it, add it while the oil is still warm rather than hot. Burnt garlic makes a dish bitter in a matter of seconds.
The green sprout that appears in the centre of the clove is not toxic. It only adds bitterness. If you are going to eat the garlic raw, it is best to remove it.
Is garlic good for your health?
In the European Union, garlic has no authorised health claims. In other words, it cannot be marketed as having health benefits.
Some meta-analyses of garlic supplements show modest reductions in blood pressure. However, there is no solid evidence that it prevents colds. Garlic is a seasoning, not a medicine.
The two most serious risks of garlic
The first affects people who take medication. In supplement form or in large amounts, garlic can enhance the effect of anticoagulants such as warfarin and increase the risk of bleeding. If you take any medication, check with your doctor.
The second is homemade garlic in oil stored outside the fridge. Garlic can carry Clostridium botulinum spores from the soil. Under the oil there is no oxygen, and in those conditions the spores can produce botulinum toxin. This toxin has no smell or taste, so it cannot be detected.
To avoid this, keep garlic in oil in the fridge and use it within a few days. Another option is to freeze it.
The ten-minute trick
Crush the garlic and wait ten minutes before heating it. This gives the allicin time to form before the heat deactivates the enzyme that produces it.
The result is a more aromatic dish. The flavour of garlic is not decided in the pan, but on the chopping board.
Frequently asked questions
Why should you wait ten minutes after crushing garlic?
Because this allows allicin, which is responsible for the aroma and pungency, to form before the heat deactivates the enzyme alliinase. The dish ends up more aromatic.
Is the green sprout in garlic toxic?
No. It only adds bitterness, so it is worth removing if you are going to eat the garlic raw.
Is black garlic fermented?
No. It is ordinary garlic kept for weeks in heat and humidity, which darkens through the Maillard reaction and becomes sweet.
Is homemade garlic in oil safe?
Outside the fridge it can be dangerous, because Clostridium botulinum spores can produce botulinum toxin in the absence of oxygen. Keep it in the fridge and use it up within a few days, or freeze it.
Informative article written with the help of AI tools from the verified script of the video. The video is in Spanish.