# Do you have fresh garlic in your home usually? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583 "2012-05-21T04:14:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/1 "2012-05-21T04:14:23Z")
Cloves in jars don’t count. My guess is 76% YES, 24% NO, but I could be wayyyyyy off. ---
**Author:** ![ecoaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@ecoaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecoaster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/2 "2012-05-21T04:17:33Z")
I’m amending to 90, 10. ---
**Author:** ![trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trapezoidal_jellyfish)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/3 "2012-05-21T04:18:15Z")
I’m curious if there are people who cook regularly who don’t keep fresh garlic around. If there are, is it because garlic powder or cloves in a jar or those frozen minced garlic cubes are an adequate substitute, or if it’s just not a flavor they use in their cooking? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/4 "2012-05-21T04:23:00Z")
Mine got dirt on em. That is a “Hell Yes”. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/5 "2012-05-21T04:23:36Z")
I always use fresh garlic while my partner prefers the jar-variety, so we always have both. I think bottled garlic is next to useless in flavouring things, and my partner thinks I’m making life hard for myself with all the peeling and mincing of the fresh bulbs. We agree to disagree (and stay out of the kitchen while the other is cooking). ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/6 "2012-05-21T04:39:49Z")
I just harvested a bunch of second year bulbs, so yes. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/7 "2012-05-21T04:48:07Z")
I have a ginormous Costco jar of minced garlic in olive oil, garlic powder, garlic salt and there’s nearly always a half dozen heads of fresh garlic around too. ---
**Author:** ![Stendhal\_Syndrome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@Stendhal\_Syndrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stendhal_Syndrome)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/8 "2012-05-21T04:55:22Z")
I also have a giant jar of garlic paste from the Indian supermarket handy. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/9 "2012-05-21T04:56:23Z")
Moving to CS. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/10 "2012-05-21T05:41:28Z")
Reported for vampirism. I’d certainly keep it around, but it seems to me a bit odd if someone would have it who doesn’t normally cook. **kambuckta** , I know someone who buys whole cloves, and then peels them and puts them in a jar for weeks on end. It’s like the getting the worst of both worlds. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/11 "2012-05-21T05:50:34Z")
It’s one of my staples. I only use powder as a condiment. Whenever I’ve tried to cook with the powder, it’s been to mild. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/12 "2012-05-21T06:43:42Z")
Two of my grandparents were from Sicily. What do YOU think? ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/13 "2012-05-21T06:48:33Z")
I have jarred garlic and granulated garlic, but I only buy fresh garlic if I am planning a specific dish. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/14 "2012-05-21T06:56:08Z")
I don’t particularly like it–it tastes different from the powder. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyMac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@JohnnyMac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyMac)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/15 "2012-05-21T07:05:08Z")
Not usually - as it happens, I do right now, but usually I use my giant jar of minced garlic. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/16 "2012-05-21T08:21:15Z")
My wife has started buying a new variety of garlic - each bulb is a single massive (squash ball sized) clove. They are awesome - no fiddling about with skinning cloves, just top and tail and the skin comes off and there is heaps of fresh yummy garlic. Having (in the past) peeled kilos of traditional garlic for my hot garlic pickle, my next attempt will be so much easier. Oh, and the [Garlic Zoom](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garlic-Zoom-Original-Colours-Vary/dp/B00138N62W) is the perfect companion to big cloves. Si ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/17 "2012-05-21T10:55:37Z")
I’ve never tried the pre-minced garlic in olive oil, but I’ve seen it in several friends’ kitchens recently. I’m thinking about picking some up. How long does it last, and how does the taste compare to fresh? I pretty much always have a fresh head or two of garlic in the house. I cook a lot, and I normally get through a head of garlic long before it starts to sprout. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/18 "2012-05-21T11:05:56Z")
Antigen, the minced garlic in olive oil seems to have varying use by dates. I’ve seen it from use within a month of opening to the tubes I have at the moment where there is no use by date if you keep it refrigerated. As for fresh garlic. My word- I grow my own so you can’t get any fresher. And it has its own “better” taste. (BTW if you do wish to grow your own get your stock from an organic supplier. The cloves they sell at supermarkets normally have an anti sprouting agent applied.) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/19 "2012-05-21T11:12:16Z")
Yes, but I don’t in the depths of winter because the dishes I tend to cook then use less garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583/20 "2012-05-21T12:11:35Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > Oh, and the [Garlic Zoom](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garlic-Zoom-Original-Colours-Vary/dp/B00138N62W) is the perfect companion to big cloves. > > Si I hate that thing. There’s always a ton of pieces stuck to the inside. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-fresh-garlic-in-your-home-usually/622583.md?page=2)