# What do I do with cloves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556 "2006-09-05T20:38:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/1 "2006-09-05T20:38:22Z")
So earlier this summer I went to a music festival. Just a local bit, not too big, and we talked to a few friends there. I remember one of them telling me to check out this booth with incense and stuff (which I ended up buying a bit of) and they had a good bit of neat products - natural soaps, smell-good stuff, all kinds of things… and I bought more stuff. Of course, I didn’t think it through at the time, but I bought a small bag of whole cloves. :smack: I have not a clue what I could do with them. What can I do with these? Are they of any use at all? Brendon ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/2 "2006-09-05T20:40:51Z")
Smoke em? Like clove cigarettes? Or burn them for the smell? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/3 "2006-09-05T20:43:48Z")
When low on food, you could combine with Tom Collins mix and a frozen pie crust for a yummy dinner for one 🙂 And I do know it’s bad form for the first response to a post to be non-helpful, but I couldn’t help myself. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/4 "2006-09-05T20:44:10Z")
I thought about that. I enjoy clove cigarettes…but would it be better to roll them w/ papers or put them in a pipe? I just lit one to burn for smell and it wasn’t too bad. Any other uses? Brendon ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/5 "2006-09-05T20:48:29Z")
I do also enjoy Tom Collins mix…usually with alcohol… Brendon ---
**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 5, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/6 "2006-09-05T20:56:00Z")
As a kid, I completed this craft. It would be a lovely craft for you, too. Take an orange, and run it through with a skewer. Using another skewer poke shallow holes in the orange, inserting one whole clove in each hole. (I remember doing this in rows.) Entirely cover the orange with closely spaced cloves. Hang orange to dry. When it’s dry and preserved, put it in your closet for a nice orangey clovey smell! ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/7 "2006-09-05T20:57:30Z")
Well, it’s not a food-based idea, but I have this big candle hurricane lamp-type-thing (well, technically a big vase, but it was way cheaper than a real hurricane), and I put cloves in it and then rest a big ol’ pillar candle in the cloves. Sort of the way you can do it with sand or those flat marble thingys. Smells great and looks neat – and different. Or, for some scent around the house, you can poke the cloves into apples or oranges, and they smell nice. You can also make mulling spices with cloves, maybe bag them up and give them as gifts. I also use mulling spices – heated in water, not cider – when I’ve cooked something smelly and want to get rid of the smell. Works great! ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/8 "2006-09-05T21:24:04Z")
My glazed ham always gets rave reviews: 3- to 5-pound boneless ham (can be the kind in a can, you’re going to fix it up yummy) Put it in a large baking pan. Score the top in a criss-cross pattern, about an inch between scores. Stick a whole clove in each of the intersections. Slather the whole thing with the mustard of your choice. Pack brown sugar over the whole thing. Pour 3 cups of apple juice in the bottom of the pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You can baste it with the apple juice once or twice if you like. Remove the cloves, slice, and serve with plenty of garlic mashed potatoes and the veggie of your choice. I like to make a spiced cherry sauce if I have time. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/9 "2006-09-05T21:32:29Z")
Last year at christmas my boss did give me a large ham (as well as a 20-pound bird at thanksgiving…it was a good job, wish I never left…) but anyways, this could work…I need to use the ham, as well as the cloves…hmmm Thanks! Brendon ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/10 "2006-09-05T21:32:41Z")
Keep one in your mouth and suck like candy. My father has been doing this every waking hour for at least the past 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/11 "2006-09-05T22:03:38Z")
[QUOTE=Scarlett67] My glazed ham always gets rave reviews: 3- to 5-pound boneless ham (can be the kind in a can, you’re going to fix it up yummy) Put it in a large baking pan. Score the top in a criss-cross pattern, about an inch between scores. Stick a whole clove in each of the intersections. Slather the whole thing with the mustard of your choice. Pack brown sugar over the whole thing. Pour 3 cups of apple juice in the bottom of the pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You can baste it with the apple juice once or twice if you like. Remove the cloves, slice, and serve with plenty of garlic mashed potatoes and the veggie of your choice. I like to make a spiced cherry sauce if I have time. [/QUOTE] Here’s a picture of a cloved ham: > **[File:NCI clove ham.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NCI_clove_ham.jpg)** ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/12 "2006-09-05T22:08:13Z")
I like to steam my face with cloves. Wait…that didn’t come out right. I put cloves in boiling hot water and put my face over the bowl with a towel over my head. Smells good. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/13 "2006-09-05T22:33:37Z")
I never make chili or vegetable soup without adding a couple of whole cloves to the pot. ---
**Author:** ![bundykala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@bundykala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bundykala)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/14 "2006-09-05T22:33:47Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] Keep one in your mouth and suck like candy. My father has been doing this every waking hour for at least the past 30 years. [/QUOTE] My dad does this too. He made me try it when I had a sore throat once, said it would help. It made my tongue go numb. He also likes cloves in his tea, if that’s any help. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/15 "2006-09-05T22:51:00Z")
Invite some friends over and makea big pot of delicious [chai](http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001170chai.php). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/16 "2006-09-05T22:51:10Z")
[QUOTE=Jackknifed Juggernaut] Keep one in your mouth and suck like candy. My father has been doing this every waking hour for at least the past 30 years. [/QUOTE] Jeez, what kind of shape is his mouth in? I often recommend cloves (or more often clove oil) for a day or two until you can get to the dentist, but more than three days and you’re risking major mucosal irritation. For the OP, peel an orange or two and lay the rinds out on paper towels or a folded brown grocery bag. (Eat the oranges.) Let the rind dry, then put pieces in a little fabric sachet (you can get little fabric bags at craft stores for really cheap) with some cloves. Give them to your mom, grandma, aunts and girlfriends for gifts. They make closets and underwear drawers smell fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/17 "2006-09-05T22:56:55Z")
They’re great in apple juice if you’re sick. I guess also if you’re not too, 'cause I want some now. 😃 Just toss a couple in a glass of apple juice, microwave until warm, and you’re done! (IIRC, you can also add a cinammon stick if you like). ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/18 "2006-09-05T23:23:44Z")
Cloves work really well in other apple dishes too. Skip the cinnamon and throw in 5 or 6 cloves in an apple pie for yummy goodness. Just remember to hunt them out before eat the pie. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/19 "2006-09-06T14:32:02Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Jeez, what kind of shape is his mouth in? I often recommend cloves (or more often clove oil) for a day or two until you can get to the dentist, but more than three days and you’re risking major mucosal irritation. [/QUOTE] The man is 62 years old and in prime health. He’s had a couple of cavities over the years, but nothing major. He goes to the dentist pretty regularly and I’ve never heard him mention any mouth problems. The only problems he’s experienced with cloves is complaints from my mother for ruining all of his shirts. He forgets that he’s left some cloves in his shirt pocket and he ends up with black marks on his pockets after they go through the wash. ---
**Author:** ![Grossbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@Grossbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grossbottom)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556/20 "2006-09-06T15:00:45Z")
Good basmati using cloves: 1. Bring your rice pot to medium heat, then pour in enough sesame oil to coat the bottom; 2. Throw in a cinnamon stick, a couple cardamom pods, a couple whole nutmeg, a couple bay leaves, and ten or so cloves; 3. Toss these around until they start to smell amazing and the bay leaves start to brown; 4. Throw in a handful of sliced almonds, toss around to coat in oil and let them start to brown (happens very fast, they will burn so watch them close); 5. Add 1 cup rinsed basmati rice, two cups of water, cover and let cook. When done, pick out the spices, leave the almonds, and eat the rice plain or under a curry. Throw in raisins during the last few minutes of the cooking for further goodness. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-do-with-cloves/371556.md?page=2)