At my place we consume a lot of garlic, but even so the garlic I get from the supermarket gets bad really fast, gets rotten from the inside. Is this happening with you as well? Any tips so that my garlics don't go bad?
From what I understand you are definitely supposed to store it at room temperature, so if you are storing it in the refrigerator that's the first thing I'd stop. I also seem to notice that mine does better when I keep it out of the light as much as possible. Good luck with this problem- my garlic usually lasts for months and months so I can only imagine how frustrating this must be.
When I have garlic going off I chop it up and then put it in the fridge or make garlic butter and store it that way. That way I can add it to my cooking easily. I've found it does keep well in the fridge once chopped or minced if you store it at the back of the fridge or in glass jar.
Mmm, I have never considered doing garlic butter, I don't even know how I would to that, just shop it and mix it with butter? Doesn't it go bad that way? Tulosai, my garlic is kept out of the fridge close to where the potatoes are, it's a dry dark place, so I would have guessed that it's a safe place to store it, but not really, just one week or a little more and they start to go bad.
See, I have the opposite problem.. my garlic always lasted too long lol. Now in the warmer months, we get it from my husband's grandmother (grows it herself), so the shelf life is just right instead of lasting till my children are out of college.. that's just wrong lol. A week or so though, is way too soon. Is there enough air flow where they are? Are you keeping them whole? Their shelf life will lessen every time you remove a clove, but again, a week is a bit soon. What are you keeping them in.. any containers or anything?
That's not good. Garlic is always at best when it's fresh (especially for the good healthy effects). I imagine that it lasting too long would lull people into eating it old and all. Which should not be as tasty nor as good. It's weird that you guys get bad garlic, OP. Maybe buy them in a different place to check if the store just does not have bad quality garlic?
I was getting my garlic at a grocery store (long time ago).. hard to get anything good in those places.. if it's not the shelf life it's how it was grown (disgusting ways; especially garlic). These days mine is completely organic and lasts the right amount of time. It totally depends where he's getting it and how he's storing it.
How to Store Garlic For health purposes, people take raw garlic that are stored in room temperature. The garlics are first peeled and then consumed just like that. Peeled garlic lasts quite some time in the fridge, perhaps up to a few days and even a week. They don't really turn bad, but they reduce in sizes, and the color turns a bit darker after a while in the fridge. It's common to store garlics in room temperature, unpeeled and unwashed. You peel and wash them before using them in your cooking. Some other people store garlic in oil and this is what's not good. We shouldn't store garlic in oil in room temperature, because the garlics can turn toxic fast. If you store your garlic in vinegar or in oil, best to keep them in the fridge and consume them as quickly as humanly possible.
I recently had this problem too. We had lots of garlic that we bought from the grocery store already peeled and we put it in a jar and unfortunately someone decided to keep it in the fridge and it eventually went bad. There was a method we used to do which was to chop it up and soak it in oil before refrigeration which I guess helped since it never went bad as fast but I'm not too sure since those rarely lasted too long since it was so convenient.
I used to have this happen to me pretty frequently. It may have been because I kept it somewhat near the sink, and I worry that it was getting moist. I doubt it was that however, as when I switched to buying garlic at my local Hispanic market it took much longer to go bad. I just think it takes too long to get to the mass market grocery stores and then to your house relative to the time it takes the little grocers.
Nope, it's a closed place, so no air flow at all there, is that important? My potatoes and onions are there too and they don't seem to suffer from the same problem. I keep them whole yes, should I open them to conserve them? That doesn't make much sense does it?
I would find a space with more air flow. Not saying that will fix it, but it is important. Don't open them, no.. but each time you take a clove it will lessen it's life. Which I guess shouldn't matter if you eat it often. Otherwise, I have no idea.. maybe it's your weather.. I know my food acts very differently depending on the time of year. It also depends on the type of garlic. Some garlic should be in the fridge.. the younger versions. If it's fresh from the ground, it needs to be dried before storing. If you just got it from a grocery store, it should be fine in a cupboard and can last months. At room temperature.. how's the temperature in your home?
I don't have this problem at all and mine ends up lasting much longer than I care for it to. I have had a few issues with this in the past, though, and I highly recommend paying attention to moisture. If you're keeping it in a dark cabinet that might be drawing moisture, then your garlic is more likely to go bad. Make sure it's a nice dry place that you're keeping it. And remember that you can crush it and freeze it if you know you're not going to be able to use all of it before it goes bad.
I'd say that it's perhaps time to give the garlic from the supermarket a miss and find an other supplier, such as a farmer at farmer's market, or some shop that sells organic produce. I have grown garlic in my garden for many years, and usually my bulbs last for up to 6 months and more without going off. Commercial garlic often gets processed or stored for a long time, and what you buy might be many months old and has long lost its nutritional value.
you can shell it and freeze it for later use. As long as it is in an airtight container - it will stay good.
If you must buy a lot of garlic at one time, and you want them to keep well over a long time, I suggest buying garlic which is still attached to their stalks. Usually these are sold in bunches. Just hang them up somewhere cool and dry and they should keep well for weeks.
There is a season for the best garlic and for the worst one. But sometimes it just happens that the store's supply has not been replaced for a long time and all the perishable products that are left are near to really getting perished. Since the latter is a very plausible cause, then one might consider going for another store to look for quality garlics. Garlics are really good. I like them.
Garlic should be stored at room temperature, typically it should keep for around two weeks. If you can't use an entire garlic bulb in that period of time I would recommend using garlic powder or dried garlic flakes instead, they keep for much longer and can confer that same garlic flavor to your cooking.
Perhaps it has something to do with the climate of your place. Our garlic cloves here in the tropics don't get rotten that fast. It usually takes a few weeks before it starts decomposing. Some housewives do something as silly as placing cloves in the refrigerator or using airtight tupperwares to delay its decomposition.
That sounds like a humidity issues. If you have a dry place to store it, it will last much longer. I live in a dry climate and usually the garlic goes bad by simply drying out. If you are currently storing your garlic in the kitchen, try finding a place in the utility room or a closet that might be dryer.
