How to Store Garlic

Once you know how to store garlic, you’re not just keeping them longer but also making them easy and quick to use!

Garlic usually lasts several weeks but when you learn my storage trick, your garlic can last up to months or even a year. I’ve been doing it for years and I never run out of garlic in the kitchen.

No matter how long you store them, you can still get the signature peppery, spicy, and sweet flavors. When you know how to store garlic, you can save money, effort, and time on using it for your favorite recipes.

Whether you use it for stir-frying, roasting, braising, or stewing, garlic is guaranteed to give you the best-tasting results. From now on, you will always have garlic in your pantry!

How to Store Garlic

Perhaps you usually store your garlic whole at room temperature. Starting today, you will always keep your garlic this way. It’s ready to use, fresh, and 100% practical for every cook who loves to use garlic!

Ingredient

What is there to know about garlic?

Garlic

What makes garlic so terrific?

Garlic is a bulbous plant that’s been cultivated in Central Asia for a long time. It’s a bulb that comes with multiple cloves wrapped in papery white skin. Since time immemorial, it has been widely used as a flavoring agent all over the world.

It is known for its pungent, spicy, and sweet taste and smell. Garlic has a powerful aroma that can’t go unnoticed. It also has a hint of spice with an earthy tone to it. When cooked, it can become sweet and nutty, bringing so much quality to dishes.

It can add flavor to marinades, sauces, chicken, beef, soups, vegetables, and salad dressings. You can also use it to make butter, toast, or powder. You will never run out of ways to use garlic.

Kinds of Garlic

There are several varieties of garlic that you can try. The common soft neck variant is white with a mild to spicy flavor. It has the longest shelf life and can yield up to 16 cloves. 

Rocambole garlic has a hard neck with a flower stock. One bulb can contain up to 12 cloves. Its skin is easy to remove. Use rocambole for curries, pickles, and salads. 

Another variant is elephant garlic – it is large, yet it only yields up to 8 large cloves. It is mild in flavor and can be yellow. You can use this for fresh salads and soups. 

Health Benefits of Garlic

Here are some health benefits you can get from garlic:

• Garlic has allicin, which protects you from viruses, bacteria, and other health problems.
• A study by Clinical Nutrition showed that garlic can help prevent and cure common colds.
• It has lots of anti-inflammatory properties to relieve inflammation and its effects.
• Eating Well shared that garlic also lowers your cholesterol levels.
• Add garlic to your diet to prevent different types of cancer.

Indeed, garlic is an all-in-one kitchen necessity because of its flavor, aroma, and health benefits!

Directions

Here’s a guide on how to store garlic for a long time;

1. Use the flat side of the knife to pound each clove.
2. Then, peel the garlic.
3. Store the peeled garlic cloves in freezer bags.
4. Place them in the freezer and take them out whenever needed. 

This method to preserve garlic will save you money, supply fresh ones, and prevent them from spoiling. It’s an easy hack that can serve a great purpose in your cooking, so try it now!

Tips

How to Buy Garlic

• Give the bulb a light squeeze and ensure that the bulb is not too soft or dry.
• It should be firm to the touch and plump.
• Sprouting is one of the signs that garlic is old, so use sprouting ones immediately. 
• It should also be white or off-white. 

Planting and Growing Garlic

Aside from freezing them, you can plant, grow, and harvest your garlic to always have them in stock!

Star with loose, well-drained, and healthy soil under direct sunlight. Use organic matter as fertilizers. Plant the cloves about two inches deep (for warm climates) or about four inches deep (for cold climates).

To grow it, water it every week but stop watering once the bulb hardens. It will sprout within weeks, but it can take up to ten months before it is ready for harvest. Planting one clove can grow one whole garlic. 

Imagine if you learn how to preserve garlic. You have an unlimited supply of garlic!

More Ways on How to Store Garlic

You can try different ways to store garlic to know which one works best for you. Here are alternative tips to show you how to store garlic for a long time:

Whole Garlic

It’s okay to store whole garlic at room temperature. Just keep the area dry and well-ventilated. Don’t place it in a humid and bright area. You can also keep them in mesh bags.

Garlic Keeper

Nowadays, there are garlic keepers that you can buy. These come in containers with holes to keep garlic fresh with ventilation. Garlic keepers are usually made of ceramic or clay.

Powder

One of the best ways to store garlic powder is to turn it into garlic powder. Peel the garlic and dehydrate or dry. Then, grind it until fine. It’s a convenient way of making garlic easy and quick to use, too.

Paste

Another way to keep your garlic longer is to convert it into garlic paste. Puree your peeled garlic in a blender or food processor. Mix it with olive oil and store for as long as you need.

Cubes

In case you often use garlic for cooking, you can freeze it in garlic cubes for easy-to-use seasoning. As you cook it, it will melt into the ingredients for a kick of flavor. One garlic cube is already three cloves of garlic!

Recommended Tools

• Freezer bags: Store the cloves in a freezer bag.
• Knife: Peel the cloves with a clean knife.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn commission income from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.

Visit my shop for more products.

How to Use Garlic

There are countless ways to use garlic!

You can eat it raw or cook it into your favorite dishes. It will add a powerful flavor and fragrance to make the recipe so much better. I often use it to roast, stir fry, grill, bake, stew, and deep fry.

It can work wonders as garlic paste, bread spread, infused oils, spice rubs, butter, and salad dressings. Garlic also tastes well in noodles, pasta, beef, chicken, turkey, fish, and vegetable recipes.

Aside from its culinary purpose, you can also use it outside the kitchen to relieve cough, treat acne, lose weight, promote hair growth, remove dandruff, repel mosquitos, relieve cold sores, and cure Athlete’s Foot. 

In fact, you can even make your oil or paste! Now that you know how to store garlic, you can use it for any dish you want!

• Ayamese Stew – give your stew a richer flavor with garlic.
• Nigerian Fried Rice – any fried rice recipe is better when you use garlic to season.
• Suya – use your garlic powder to make tasty Nigerian Suya.
• Roast Chicken Seasoning Blend – use your powdered garlic in a seasoning mix.
• Mashed Potatoes – add garlic to your potatoes for the best side dish.
• Pizza Sauce – it also tastes amazing in sauces and dips.

Tips on How to Store Garlic

• At room temperature: Put whole garlic heads in a bowl or mesh bag. Then, store at room temperature for up to 5 months. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to store garlic?

It depends on how you use garlic. In case you prefer them whole, then keep them unpeeled at room temperature. If you don’t want to peel before you cook, then peel them before you store them instead.

In case you want ready-to-use garlic, then mince or puree it before you freeze it. You can also turn it into an oil if you want an effortless way of storing and using the garlic.

How do chefs store garlic?

Chefs usually store garlic in a walk-in freezer or pantry. It depends on how they use garlic for their dishes. Some may store them whole and unpeeled while others prefer them in oil, powder, or cubes.

Can you store garlic in the freezer?

Of course, you can! In fact, freezing garlic is one of the best ways to store it. You can just peel them and freeze them for a longer shelf life. I also mince or puree them and readily add them to my dishes.

How long does garlic last at room temperature?

Garlic can last up to several months at room temperature as long as you keep them away from humid areas and sunlight. I suggest using mesh bags or garlic keepers to keep them longer at room temperature.