How to Preserve Fresh Garlic

Garlic is said to be an herb, but it has a strong smell similar to an onion. Garlic is used to prepare food in many ways and is sometimes even used to treat diseases. Fresh garlic can be bought at the market or supermarket. Whether you buy garlic or grow it yourself, if you know how to store it properly, you can keep it for a long time. The following guide will help you know how to store fresh garlic.

Table of Contents

Preserving fresh garlic

Buy or harvest fresh, hard garlic. This is important because the fresher the garlic, the longer it will keep.

The garlic bulbs should be hard with a dry, papery outer shell without sprouts. A soft bulb means the garlic is overcooked and won’t keep for long.
Avoid choosing garlic bulbs that are wrinkled or refrigerated at the supermarket.

Dry the self-grown garlic bulbs before storing. Letting the self-grown garlic dry before storing will help it develop a strong aroma and flavor. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Wash the freshly harvested garlic bulbs and dry them in a shady, moisture-free place for about 1 week.
You can hang garlic cloves to dry.

Store garlic at room temperature. Many people often make the mistake of storing garlic in the refrigerator because a room temperature of about 16°C is the most suitable for garlic. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Storing garlic in the refrigerator will damage the garlic bulbs. Chilled garlic bulbs will have more moisture and become moldy.
If you’re mincing or mincing fresh garlic, you can put it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for a short time, but it’s best to use it as soon as possible.
Do not freeze garlic as this will change the texture and flavor of the garlic.

Keep the garlic in a cool place. Store garlic in a cool place so it can “breathe” and keep it for a long time. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You can use a wire or mesh basket, a small bowl with ventilation holes, or a paper bag to store the garlic.
Do not store garlic in a plastic bag or sealed container. This will cause the garlic to mold or sprout.

Store fresh garlic in a shady place. Kitchen cabinets or a slightly dark corner on the kitchen counter is the most suitable place.

Place garlic away from sunlight and moisture to avoid sprouting.

Use up all the garlic as soon as it is separated from the bulb. Garlic usually doesn’t keep for long when you separate the garlic bulb into small cloves.

If the garlic is soft or the clove has green sprouts in the middle, discard it.
Garlic bulbs can be kept for 8 weeks if stored properly. Garlic cloves that are separated from the bulbs will keep for about 3 to 10 days.

Note that “seasonal garlic” will be stored differently than regular garlic. Homemade early season garlic should be refrigerated as soon as it is harvested.

Early-season garlic or “young wet” in English is harvested in early summer and has a mild taste. You don’t need to dry the garlic and can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Early season garlic usually has a milder flavor than regular garlic and can be used as a substitute for onions and leeks when cooking.

Some other ways to preserve garlic

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Freeze garlic. Although some people disagree with freezing garlic because it changes the texture and flavor, freezing is a good option for someone who doesn’t use garlic often or doesn’t want to waste a few extra cloves. You can freeze garlic in one of two ways:

You can freeze whole unpeeled garlic cloves by wrapping them in cling film or foil or using a freezer bag and placing them in the freezer. You can then separate each garlic clove to use as needed. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Alternatively, you can peel, crush, or chop the garlic and place the garlic in a freezer bag or wrap in freezer-safe wrap. If the garlic sticks together when frozen, you can grate it to get the amount you need. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Store garlic in oil. There is some controversy about storing garlic in oil because soaking garlic in oil at room temperature causes the production of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum , which causes a dangerous disease called botulism. However, if oil-soaked garlic is stored in the freezer, it will lose its ability to produce bacteria. ^{[5] X Research Source} The following are safe ways to store garlic in oil:

You can peel individual garlic cloves and soak them in a glass jar or plastic container for oil. Close the lid of the jar or box and put it in the freezer. Use a spoon to remove the garlic as needed. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Or you can make a blend of minced garlic with olive oil by combining one part peeled garlic with 2 parts olive oil in a blender or food processor. Then, pour the blended mixture into a freezer-safe container, close the lid, and put it in the freezer. This method is handy when cooking because the oil keeps the blend from hardening so you can scoop it up and put it directly into the pan. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Preserve garlic with wine or vinegar. Peeled garlic can be soaked in wine or vinegar and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. Use red wine or white wine without sugar or white vinegar or white wine vinegar. To preserve garlic this way, you would place the peeled garlic in a glass jar, then fill it with a wine or vinegar of your choice. Close the lid of the jar and put it in the refrigerator. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

To spice up your pickled garlic, you can add 1 tablespoon of salt (per cup of liquid) along with dried herbs like dried chili peppers, oregano, rosemary, or bay leaves. Shake to mix the ingredients in the jar. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Although pickled garlic can keep for about 4 months in the refrigerator, you should throw it away if you see mold on the surface of the jar of pickled garlic. Do not let garlic soak at room temperature as mold will form quickly. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Dry the garlic. Another way to preserve garlic is to dry it. Dried garlic is dehydrated, so a large amount of garlic will not take up much storage space in the kitchen. When used for cooking, dried garlic will absorb water and create a wonderful flavor for the dish. There are two ways to dry garlic, depending on whether you have a food dryer or not.

You can dry garlic with a food dryer by peeling and cutting the garlic in half lengthwise. You should use full, unsmashed garlic cloves for drying. Put the garlic in the drying tray and follow the instructions provided with the machine for the best effect. Completely dried garlic will be crispy and easy to crumble. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
If you don’t have a food dryer, you can use an oven instead to do the same process. Place the sliced garlic cloves in a baking tray and bake at 60°C for 2 hours. Then, reduce the temperature to 55°C and continue to bake until the garlic is completely dry. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Make garlic salt. You can use dried garlic to make garlic salt to add a wonderful, delicate flavor when processing. To make garlic salt, you just need to put the dried garlic in a multi-function blender until you have a fine powder. Add 4 parts sea salt to each part garlic and blend well for about 1 or 2 minutes. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Do not grind the sea salt and garlic powder for longer than 2 minutes as the flour mixture will become lumpy.
Store garlic salt in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and place in a shady kitchen cabinet.

Advice

Ceramic bowls with vent holes specifically for storing garlic can be found at any kitchen supply store.

Warning

If you store garlic by soaking it in olive oil, don’t leave it at room temperature, as this will breed clostridium botulinum bacteria.

Steps

Preserving fresh garlic

Some other ways to preserve garlic

Advice

Warning

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