Selecting garlic -It should be big, plump and firm, tight silky skins with its paper-like covering intact, not spongy, soft, or shriveled.

Peeling Garlic

• Place a large butcher-type knife on top of the clove and then whack hardly. It not only peels   but you even have a partially crushed clove.

• Soak the garlic flakes in a cupful of water for five minutes before peeling.

• Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

• Garlic peels easily if it is first crushed slightly on the grinding stone.

Keeping Garlic fresh for a longer period - Peel and mince a full garlic then place it in a small jar and cover with olive oil. You can refrigerator it for about 1 week & to your great surprise it will remain fresh & will give you the same garlic-flavor.

After chopping raw garlic, rub your fingers thoroughly with the bowl of a stainless steel spoon under running water. Then wash your hands with soap. The metal magically neutralizes the garlic fumes.

When a recipe calls for adding oil, garlic, and onions to a pan, always add garlic last. This keeps it from burning and tasting bitter.

Garlic will peel more easily if you put it in hot water for a few minutes to loosen the skin.

Store garlic cloves in cooking oil. They will never dry out and the garlic-flavoured oil can be used for cooking.

To keep garlic longer, put the cloves in the freezer. When ready to use, peel and chop before the cloves thaw.