How To Preserve Garlic
To preserve garlic, frozen garlic in oil is the most convenient way. Crush or finely slice garlic cloves. Tip half a clove into each cube of ice cube tray, fill with olive oil and freeze. Once the cubes are fully frozen you can put them in a freezer bag.
This simple recipe for garlic confit, or garlic preserved in butter, is very much a French thing, and it is extremely handy to have in your kitchen to cook a variety of dishes.
I tend to use whatever garlic is frozen in dishes such as sauces and stir-fries, not anything where garlic is the star of the show (such as this Lebanese garlic sauce or garlic confit). I particularly love using made-up garlic where it is going to cook, such as in soups, sauces, stir-fries, and stews, but you can still use it in fresh salads if you like. Your garlic can begin to lose its pungent taste in just a couple of days, and it should still be good for a week or so. You can throw a little olive oil on, seal in a tight container, and pop it into the fridge for a day or two.
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You will want to freeze your garlic in an airtight container, such as small cans, or in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag with your date written on it. A tightly sealed Ziploc bag with your date written on it. Whatever container you use, just be sure you are freezing your garlic in a container that is airtight and resistant to moisture, so the garlic stays fresh. For freezing, you have two options, you can make a garlic paste out of the garlic, oil, and salt, or use the garlic alone.
This is one of my favourite methods because it is lower-effort and means that once you take the garlic out of the freezer, you do not need to do any additional preparation or cutting with garlic — simply dump as many clumps of your frozen mixture of pureed garlic as needed in the pot, and you are good to go. With the other garlic freezing method, you can just chop up or chop up smaller amounts of minced garlic as needed, which is handy for cooks who frequently need to put together a quick dish. This is incredibly convenient way to keep garlic, so that you will always have a little bit handy, chopped up, ready to throw in the pot and get cooking.
| Garlic Cloves | Shelf Life |
| Whole | 3-6 months |
| Peeled | For 5-7 days |
| Chopped | About 2 weeks |
This is handy for cooking, but for this recipe, we wanted to keep the whole cloves intact, so make sure you do not crush any garlic if you try this method. Once you have peeled all of the cloves of garlic, rinse them briefly to remove any paper or dirt, then set them aside.
Gently agitate the garlic in only two metal mixing bowls, so that the skin simply breaks off and falls off of the preserved cloves. Similar to the preserved, you can also put garlic cloves into a sealed glass jar, and then shake vigorously to loosen up the garlic skins.
If, however, you are still worried, just put your peeled garlic and oils into zipper-lock bags, and then freeze them in a refrigerator-safe glass jar, rather than keeping them in the glass jar. Or, simply freeze the garlic cloves in their whole form. If you would like to skip the garlic-in-oil option, but still want minced garlic, once the garlic cloves are peeled, just throw them in a food processor.
Pack whole cloves in a freezer-safe bag and freeze as is, chopping them up before freezing, or use the food processor to mince the garlic with the extra virgin olive oil. To make a garlic oil puree for freezing, put one part peeled clove of garlic into a blender or food processor with two parts olive oil. Once you have your dried garlic slices, you can create delicious garlic-flavored oil by placing a handful of slices into a small jar and covering them with olive oil. To make garlic-flavored oil at home, just add dehydrated garlic to olive oil in a wide-mouthed jar, tighten the lid, and store the jar in the fridge.
Confit is a French method of preservation, which involves poaching individual cloves of garlic in olive oil, tenderizing it, then using it directly from the jar when needed. To use your preserved garlic, simply pull off the amount of cloves that you need, quickly rinse them off with water, and use them however you like.
If you would like the garlic with some of that vinegary bite, or you are using it in a recipe that calls for vinegar too, simply use the garlic unrinsed. You can also heat up the garlic slightly in a microwave or in hot water, which makes peeling with fingers easier. Once the peeled garlic is crispy, store them as is or mince in the blender ahead of time. Thinly slice the peeled garlic (a food processor with a batch-loading attachment can make this super fast) and place the slices into a food dehydrator, or into a barely-warm oven with the doors propped open a bit; you will want to keep it at 115 degrees.
Slice garlic lengthwise in half, put it into your electric food dehydrator, and follow the manufacturers instructions to dehydrate. Wrap peeled cloves in foil, and then put them into freezer-safe plastic storage bags, seal tightly, label, date, and freeze. Cut the frozen sheet of garlic paste into uniformly sized pieces, seal in the freezer safe bag, label, date, and re-freeze.
Leftover peeled or chopped garlic will last a couple weeks in the refrigerator in a small, tightly covered container, but this method is not a great long-term storage option. The first, easiest method for preserving garlic is simply by peeling cloves and freezing them in zipper bags. There are a few different ways to freeze fresh garlic, so I am going to list a few different options that are available, including freezing raw, peeled, and crushed garlic. When you want to make sure that you always have an affordable stockpile of garlic ready to go, these methods of garlic preservation are the best way to preserve the flavor of your Islay garlic, so that you will never need to worry about running out.
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Pickling softens up the garlic, making the whole cloves mild enough that they can be dropped raw in salads, or served as an appetizer alongside olives and such. You can use whatever other food processor you have, or even just a sharp knife, along with some coarse salt, to help soften garlic while chopping. Do not even consider grinding or mincing the garlic if you are not planning on using it immediately – you are lucky if it will last 24 hours in the fridge.
How do you store garlic cloves for a long time?
Garlic cloves that are whole and unpeeled can last up to 10 days when kept in a cold, dark area for 3-6 months. Use peeled garlic cloves within 5-7 days after storing them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. While leftover peeled or chopped garlic will last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator in a small, tightly covered container
Can I preserve garlic in olive oil?
To retain the freshness of your garlic, you should store it by submerging it in olive (or vegetable) oil. A benefit of preserving garlic in this manner is that you can use garlic flavored oil in your cooking. Just be mindful to replenish the oil so that your cloves remain submerged.
Is it safe to preserve garlic in vinegar?
Ensure that you completely submerge your garlic in vinegar. You should store your garlic vinegar in the fridge and use both vinegar and garlic in salad dressings or any other meal that requires both vinegar and garlic. If properly stored, your garlic vinegar will last for about four months in the refrigerator.