Question
Diane Kirschner
When in the sauté cooking cycle is it best time to add garlic? I understand that garlic can turn bitter and thus make the food bitter if put in the pan first (used to sauté it w/onions).
Answer
If you are familiar with the no oil mushroom saute method, you see that the sequences to first put the shallots in, because that is a high water vegetable followed by, excuse me, followed by the garlic, which is a low water vegetable, and they can burn very, very quickly. So that would be the sequence and then the mushrooms, but never my Italian grandmother would cook, you know, clothes and clothes of garlic and olive oil. And I think I seem to remember that sometimes the garlic was burned. Uh, if you go out to a restaurant sometimes and the food might taste bitter to you, it's probably because the garlic was overcooked. So know the heat of your pan, do the mercury ball test, and, uh, you should, uh, be well on your way to sauteing your garlic without having it burn and become bitter. So, always an important question. You can, um, check that assignment out if you haven't done it just yet, Diane. But, uh, for me, that assignment is a cornerstone of our program because it's such a, a great technique to learn and it becomes a really good way to cook, not just mushrooms, but zucchini and other kinds of vegetables. Eggplant, another one that, uh, is certainly good and delicious, especially when it's sauteed.
