You might have noticed that sometimes the garlic is a bit stronger than the other times and perhaps you may have thought it's due to its freshness - the older the garlic, the less the flavor.
Well, turns out it all depends on how you've chopped it rather than the garlic itself.
So basically the way you prepare and cut garlic determines its strength and flavour of it.
Kelly, a Chef, and instructor shared online sharing what garlic has more flavour and also explained the science behind it.
"The strength of garlic’s flavor can vary based on the cut and preparation method of the garlic because of the chemical compounds present in garlic. Garlic contains a sulfur compound called allicin, which is responsible for its pungent aroma and flavor," Kelly wrote on Instagram.
"When garlic is chopped or crushed, an enzyme called alliinase is activated, which then converts alliin (a non-volatile sulfur-containing compound) into allicin. The more the garlic is chopped or crushed, the more allicin is produced, which results in a stronger and more pungent flavor," she added.
So based on the above explanation:
If you're using the whole clove, it is the least flavourful.
If it's crushed then it has a mild flavour.
If the garlic has been sliced, it has a medium flavour.
Minced garlic has a strong flavour.
The strongest flavour is of a garlic paste.
A viewer in the comment section agreed and also shared how this concept worked with onions too.
"Same with onions tooo!! My dad taught me this, he said you can try it out on your own and I did. Every time I cut it a different way, it turned out totally different" the user wrote.
Here are some garlic hacks you can try out!
