Garlic is known to have a wide assortment of health benefits, from alleviating acne to its ability to conquer the common cold. However, you can only reap these wonderful benefits if you cook and consume garlic properly. Many amateur cooks do not understand how to correctly cook with garlic.

If you want to cure a cold or enjoy all of the nutritious benefits associated with garlic, use these tips for cooking with garlic.

Don’ts

The most common mistake made by those cooking at home is burning the garlic. If you’ve ever smelled and/or tasted burnt garlic, it is not pleasant!

How does garlic become burnt? If you add garlic too close to the beginning of the cooking process or have the heat far too high, you will easily burn a crucial ingredient of your recipe.

Another garlic blunder involves adding far too much of the ingredient to your dish. Garlic is meant to be an additive for flavor and zest, not the main ingredient! Instead of pouring mounds of garlic into your recipe, add just the right amount as described in the recipe. Even when eyeballing a garlic measurement, it’s best not to over do it.

Do’s

Have you ever had roasted garlic? It’s delicious. This is one of the most common ways to cook and enjoy garlic. In fact, this process is most recommended since roasting garlic releases the sugary, caramelized flavors we all love!

Also, be sure to try adding raw garlic to your diet and recipes. Raw garlic offers several health related benefits, along with tasting scrumptious! If you’re not a fan of the strong taste, try adding various seasoning to your recipe to mask the garlic taste.

When choosing your garlic, always look for plump, strong bulbs that clearly have tight cloves. These will give you the best tasting garlic.

What recipe or dish do you plan on making to celebrate National Garlic Day?