# Cooking. I admit it, I use \ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072 "2010-09-08T17:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/201 "2010-09-15T00:38:02Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > OK I just started my stopwatch, got up walked into the kitchen, turned on the light, pulled out the chefs knife, broke off a clove of garlic, smash/peel/mince/add a dash of kosher, schmear and final mince. > > 41 seconds. > > No need for a jar in my house. > > Mmm garlicky hands:) That’ll go on the hot links Im gonna make in a few minutes. Who uses just one clove of garlic? I find I usually have to use at least 3. And I have big hands, making it easy to cut myself trying to cut those little suckers. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/202 "2010-09-15T02:08:40Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Who uses just one clove of garlic? I find I usually have to use at least 3. Years ago, I participated in a biweekly potluck in which we had two rules/responses about the amount of garlic in the dishes. “How much garlic is in that?” “response #1: not enough.” “How much garlic do you need?” “response #2: more.” But yea, it was always fresh. I’ve used the jarred stuff, and it’s just not…garlic. It’s a garlic-like substance to me. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/203 "2010-09-15T02:18:37Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > OK I just started my stopwatch, got up walked into the kitchen, turned on the light, pulled out the chefs knife, broke off a clove of garlic, smash/peel/mince/add a dash of kosher, schmear and final mince. > > 41 seconds. > > No need for a jar in my house. > > Mmm garlicky hands:) That’ll go on the hot links Im gonna make in a few minutes. 😃 Is dinner over - did I miss it? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/204 "2010-09-15T02:22:34Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > But why don’t I just peel and slice 3 apples to make one pie? 3 apples? My wife’s Mile High Apple Pie uses 4 _pounds_ of apples! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/205 "2010-09-15T02:45:41Z")
More nifty than guilty, but here’s a favorite shortcut: For garlic, keep a supply of freezer-type ziplock bags on hand. Throw a few cloves into a bag, push all the air out and close it. Then smash the garlic with a can of tomatoes. (Any can will do, but tomatoes are generally what I’m serving with the garlic.) Use the edge of the can to cut through any stubborn pieces. Pick out the peels and you’ve got perfectly smushed garlic in seconds. Pop any leftovers into the freezer so they don’t turn sour. ETA: I once made an entire apple pie with a single honeycrisp apple. I wish I’d taken a picture of it, that sucker was huge! Oh, and that’s a great one - honeycrisp peels don’t turn chalky when baked, so you can make apple pie without peeling them. Score! Nutrition and laziness in one fell swoop! ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/206 "2010-09-15T06:46:52Z")
Until my big glass dutch oven broke (with dinner in it, graagh) I often made chicken and dumplings in the microwave, with leftover rotisserie chicken, canned broth, and Bisquick dumplings. That’s at least four cheats right there. (The recipe also contains onions and carrots and fresh sage, which isn’t cheating.) Now I have to do it on the stove, so I cheat slightly less. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/207 "2010-09-15T07:27:57Z")
Canned tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![kombatminipig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5ac83/32.png) [@kombatminipig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kombatminipig)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/208 "2010-09-15T10:02:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > > > If I have to chop more than half an onion, I will probably be hauling out my [Vidalia Chop Wizard](https://www.chopwizard.com/) (over the protests of my kids, who have to clean the thing). Hey, I _like_ teeny uniform onion cubes. > > I had one of those, until it cracked at the hinge joint. And then the same thing happened to the second one, even though I tried to be more careful and chopped only inch-thick slices of onion. But when the thing worked, it was great. Much nicer and more uniform pieces of onion than I could manage with a kitchen knife. The difference in my experience is in the knife. Ever since I got a good Sabatier, chopping goes a lot faster. I’ll have an onion roughly chopped in about 20 seconds, finely in about 40. If you count in the cleaning time, I think I come up on top 😉 How and when to use garlic is up to the application if you ask. In a soup or a sauce where the garlic is well cooked, I’d venture that the taste difference between jarred, crushed or chopped garlic is trivial. On the other hand, where the taste of the garlic is far more pronounced, such as in an aioli or when mixed with minced pork in gyoza, the way the garlic is chopped and even what type of garlic used makes all the difference. The solution to garlic fingers, btw: rub your hands on something made out of stainless steel such as your knife or the faucet. I don’t know how or why it works, but empirical evidence supports that it does. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/209 "2010-09-15T12:10:58Z")
I buy peeled fresh garlic that comes in a plastic tub, fill the container with white vinegar and put it in the refrigerator. Keeps for months. Chopping is no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/210 "2010-09-15T15:29:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, that’s my problem with the jarred garlic. I can eat it out of the jar with a spoon, it’s so bland. Me too! That’s when I decided to stop using it and go for the good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/211 "2010-09-15T17:59:31Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > Until my big glass dutch oven broke (with dinner in it, graagh) I often made chicken and dumplings in the microwave, with leftover rotisserie chicken, canned broth, and Bisquick dumplings. That’s at least four cheats right there. (The recipe also contains onions and carrots and fresh sage, which isn’t cheating.) > > Now I have to do it on the stove, so I cheat slightly less. Share the recipe, please? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/212 "2010-09-15T19:08:54Z")
I used jarred garlic since it lasts so long. I don’t use garlic enough to make it through a fresh clove. I’d only use a few pieces and the rest goes bad. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/213 "2010-09-15T19:27:08Z")
I sometimes chop a bunch of garlic, then store it in a jar with olive oil. The oil preserves it indefinitely. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/214 "2010-09-15T19:36:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I sometimes chop a bunch of garlic, then store it in a jar with olive oil. The oil preserves it indefinitely. Can you define “indefinitely” in this instance? I might give this a try. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/215 "2010-09-15T19:46:39Z")
My brother, who has worked in the hotel/restaurant industry his whole life, claims that no restaurant, apart from 5-star restaurants, uses anything BUT jarred garlic in their foods. NONE. Not a one in America, says he. (Five-star establishments, as I understand it, must prepare everything on-site, including butter!) Feel free to correct this if anyone has a cite of a higher authority than Ellen’s Brother.™ Canned tomato products? Try [Dei Fratelli](http://www.deifratelli.com/). Even the pizza sauce is fantastic! ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/216 "2010-09-15T19:48:29Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I sometimes chop a bunch of garlic, then store it in a jar with olive oil. The oil preserves it indefinitely. Deja vu… This just came up in another thread. What about botulism? ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/217 "2010-09-15T19:49:47Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I sometimes chop a bunch of garlic, then store it in a jar with olive oil. The oil preserves it indefinitely. Be careful with that: From [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic#Adverse_effects_and_toxicology): “[W]hen preparing and storing garlic-infused oil at home, there is a risk of botulism if the product is not stored properly. To reduce this risk, the oil should be refrigerated and used within one week. Manufacturers add acids and/or other chemicals to eliminate the risk of botulism in their products.” [Cecil’s thoughts on the matter](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2653/is-garlic-oil-lethal): “in 1989 the FDA banned certain garlic-in-oil mixes for that reason. The problem is that when you chop up fresh produce and cover it in oil, you’re giving anaerobic Clostridium botulinum bacteria a good growing environment. Some claim roasting the garlic first eliminates this danger, but I’ve seen conflicting arguments on that score–better not to risk it.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/218 "2010-09-15T20:14:45Z")
> [@Doctor\_Who](#): > > > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > > > I sometimes chop a bunch of garlic, then store it in a jar with olive oil. The oil preserves it indefinitely. > > Deja vu… This just came up in another thread. What about botulism? Yes, this is Not A Very Good Idea. Chances are low that it’ll kill you, but enough that anybody who learns about home canning/preserving/pickling immediately learns this rule. I pack my garlic in kosher salt, but the vinegar idea sounds reasonable, too (but then you end up getting pickled garlic, don’t you?) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/219 "2010-09-15T20:15:15Z")
Uh, yikes! Mr. Beetle always roasts and peels garlic and stores the cloves in a jar of oil. We eat that garlic spread on flatbread probably a couple times a week. However, that article makes it seem as if the _chopping_ is the problem. What if it’s just whole cloves? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/220 "2010-09-15T20:23:19Z")
From the Orego[n State University Extension Service](http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/sites/default/files/documents/sp_50-701_herbs_and_vegetables_in_oil_2009.pdf) (PDF): > [@](#): > > It’s important to keep food safety in mind when storing vegetables (such as garlic, mushrooms, chili peppers) or herbs in oil. These low‐acid foods can be a source of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which are found in soil, water, and air. Oil’s oxygen‐free environment is perfect for growth of the bacteria. For this reason, herbs and vegetables in oil must be stored correctly to prevent botulism food poisoning. > > Commercial garlic‐in‐oil mixtures are acidified to prevent bacterial growth. These products can be stored safely at room temperature. Unfortunately, acidification of homemade herb or vegetables‐in‐oil mixtures can’t be recommended until research is conducted. Instead, it’s essential to store hazardous products in the refrigerator. > > When raw or cooked vegetables or raw herbs are stored in oil, Clostridium botulinum bacteria can grow. These mixtures must be refrigerated to slow bacterial growth. After 3 weeks of refrigeration, the increased number of bacteria will become a food safety hazard. Therefore, these mixtures should not be refrigerated longer than 3 weeks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072.md?page=12)