3,500 years before Christ, garlic was already used by the Sumerian civilization, later the Egyptians continued to use it and to this day we maintain this fantastic product that has a unique flavor and incredible properties.
Garlic always adds a special touch to any dish, an unmistakable flavor that can go well with any type of food but that, in excess, covers any taste. That is why there are more and more lovers of garlic oil, a fantastic product that gives you all the flavor of garlic without cloying or being too strong.
Below we explain how to make garlic oil at home so you can make it yourself and enjoy it with any meal.
You will need to:
- Garlic
- Skillet
- Oil
- Leaky spoon
- Oil can or any other container
Steps to follow:
One.Obviously, to make garlic oil at home, the first thing you need is garlic. For these recipes you will need a head. Any type of garlic works, it does not have to be of a specific species, with which you can find in the market, in a grocery store or wherever it already works, even if you have a garden at home you can use the garlic that you yourself cultivate.
Two.You will have to separate all the garlic cloves and then remove the skin one by one. This process is important and will surely take your time, but it is vital that you do it well so that the final result of the garlic oil is the ideal one.
Many people use shortcuts to be able to peel the garlic quickly, one of the most popular is to crush the garlic clove with a knife to split the skin and make it come out easier, this is not recommended because once the oil has already been heated and strained, pieces of garlic may remain floating in the liquid, worsening the final result.
Nor should garlic be soaked or submerged to be able to remove the skin more easily, as it could be contaminated with bacteria that later pass into the oil.
In this way, it is worth spending a few minutes peeling the garlic by hand, removing the shell completely and keeping the cloves whole.
3.Place the garlic in a pan, depending on the amount of oil you want you can use a larger or smaller pan. The only limitations you have is that you can fit the garlic cloves covered in oil.
4.Once the garlic is in the pan, you should cover it with oil. Depending on the amount of oil that you put in, the oil will be more concentrated or less, the less amount of oil you put in, the more it will absorb the garlic flavor.
The type of oil you use is indifferent, normally it is recommended to use olive oil, because it is of high quality, very healthy and that goes very well with the flavor of garlic. But if you want to try other types of oil such as sunflower, coconut, grape seed or canola, you will surely find surprising combinations.
5.Put the oil to heat to medium-low temperature. If you have a kitchen thermometer at home, the ideal is to keep the fire constantly between 90º and 96º, but not higher than 100º. If you don’t have a thermometer, you have other ways to know if the temperature is good and to make a good garlic oil.
Once you have the garlic with the oil and the fire on, the oil must be constantly bubbling, if it does not it is too cold, but if the garlic starts to fry it is too hot. If this happens, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds until the oil temperature drops, regulate the heat, and put the pan back on.
6.The garlic and oil should remain on the fire between 15 and 30 minutes, again the time used will depend on whether you have added more or less oil. More than time, what you should take into account is how the color of the oil changes, because when it has become opaque and darker, it has already absorbed all the flavor of the garlic.
On the other hand, if you prefer a garlic oil with a milder flavor, you can remove the pan from the heat at any other time. A good method is to try every few minutes – letting the oil cool – and remove it permanently when it has the flavor you want.
7.If you want to know how to make garlic oil at home, it is because you want to make a recipe that requires this type of oil or because you want to have it to be able to season whatever you want. If it is the first case and you are going to use it immediately, you have two possible options:
- Pour all the contentsof the pan, oil and garlic cloves, in the dish that you are going to eat.
- Remove the garlic cloveswith a frying spoon, the ones that are pierced, and simply use the oil that is left in the pan.
8.If you want to save the oil to use as a condiment for salads, fish, or any other dish, let it cool to room temperature. With a strainer or a pierced spoon, remove the garlic cloves and store the garlic oil in an oil can or any container, but it is recommended that it be airtight so that it does not take on other flavors.
