How to counteract too much garlic? (11 Ways how)
In this article, we will answer the question “How to counteract too much garlic?”, and how to peel garlic without touching it?
How to counteract too much garlic?
Dilute the garlic or let the dish rest overnight
Dilute the garlic or garlic powder by adding more of the other ingredients. Adjust the flavors accordingly. You can also cook up another batch and mix it with the batch with excess garlic to balance it out.
This is particularly helpful for dishes like casserole. Leaving the dish overnight will reduce the heat of the garlic.leave the dish for 24 hours or 2 nights in the fridge so that all the pungent flavors tone down and the end product has a very balanced taste.
Raise the temperature
The active compound, allicin, present in garlic is responsible for its pungency. It is produced by the enzyme alliinase when the garlic is subjected to heat which results in the breakdown of the cell wall. If you cook the dish above 140 degree fahrenheit, you can inactivate alliinase and prevent it from producing alliinase.
Simmering the dish on low heat will also mellow down the heat of the garlic. However, make sure you do not burn your dish in the process.
Add onions
The flavor of onion compliments the flavor of garlic really well. Besides onions themself impart a strong flavor to the dish. When added in the right quantity, it can tone down and balance the flavor of the excess garlic.
Add aromatic herbs
Addition of aromatic herbs like cilantro, parsley and basil will tone down the flavor of garlic while imparting delicate flavors to the dish. Make sure you do not add too much or else you will end up with a bitter tasting dish.
Herbs like oregano, thyme and basil have a very concentrated flavor. Make sure you do not overdue your dish with these herbs.
Remove the extra garlic
Physical removal of excess garlic from your dish is only possible If you added the garlic in the form of whole cloves or in largely chopped form.
Add a creamy ingredient
Coconut milk, coconut cream, Half-and-Half, cow’s milk, full heavy cream etc are some of the creamy ingredients that can make your dish taste less garlicky and more palatable. Coconut milk, in particular, works quite well for curries and southeastern Asian dishes.
Add an acidic ingredient
Lemon juice, orange juice, lime juice, tomato juice, or vinegar etc can be used to mask the intensity of garlic flavor. The amount and the type of acidic ingredient depends on your dish.
Use a sweetener
Add a little bit of brown sugar or honey in dishes like chilli, curry, stew and casserole. Do not overdue the sweetness and remember the sweetness will be more pronounced once the dish is cool. So add only a little at a time.
Add potato
Potato actually does wonders in reducing the heat of pungent ingredients. It’s a very old remedy to get rid of too much salt. It can also be used to tone down too much garlic in your dish. All you have to do is cut the potato into small or medium cubes and cook it in your dish. Remove the potato cubes before serving the dish.
Add salt
Adding some salt can counterbalance the heat of the garlic. But you have to be very careful with its amount. Only add a little amount of salt at a time. Check before adding more or else you will end up with a too salty end product.
Add more dressing
If your dressing tastes too garlicky, you can add more non-garlic ingredients to mellow it out. These ingredients might include cream cheese, mayo, mustard, sour cream and yogurt etc.
Other FAQs about Garlic which you may be interested in.
6 cloves garlic equals how much minced?
How many tsp is 4 cloves of garlic?
How many teaspoons in 2 cloves of garlic?
How to peel garlic without touching it?
- Place the garlic bulb or garlic cloves in a glass jar. Put the lid on and shake the jar vigorously for about 2-3 minutes. First, the cloves will separate from the bulb and then the cloves will start to peel off. You can remove the remaining peel using a fork.
- Use a garlic press to extract the juice out of the garlic. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mince the garlic. We recommend chopping or mincing the garlic at once and storing it for later use. This way you won’t have to touch garlic every other day if you happen to cook daily in the kitchen.
- Wear latex or nitrile gloves when working with garlic or any other smelly vegetable like onions. Do not use thick gloves, they might make the handling difficult. Gloves are a great way to avoid nasty smells.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “How to counteract too much garlic?”, and how to peel garlic without touching it?
