[dropcap1]Q. [/dropcap1] I often hear you deride callers to your radio show because they use chopped garlic from a jar. What's wrong with it? I like not having to chop up garlic every time I want to use it. It saves a great deal of time and effort. [dropcap1]A. [/dropcap1]The problem with most chopped garlic in jars is the garlic. While it may look like fresh chopped garlic (a suggestion furthered by the fact that the stuff is usually in the produce department of the store, sometimes even refrigerated), in fact it is just freeze-dried chopped garlic. The product can be found in the spice rack, and when you shake the canister the hard little chips make a lot of noise. To turn this into what looks like fresh garlic, all the manufacturers do is add water or olive oil. Freeze-dried garlic has no more garlic flavor than does garlic powder. When you saute it, you get no aroma--which right there takes it out of my pantry. Fresh, un-dried and un-frozen pre-chopped garlic in a jar does exist. But only rarely. And even that lacks a fresh flavor to me. Just get used to the idea of chopping garlic, even if it's in a food processor. As usual, convenience is the enemy of good taste. I often hear you deride callers to your radio show because they use chopped garlic from a jar. What's wrong with it? I like not having to chop up garlic every time I want to use it. It save a great deal of time and effort. Click for the answer. . . ."> Read More. . .
