The Kitchen has been the most important part of every home. It is the place where the family can experiment with a variety of dishes to cook. There are different principles to consider in cooking, including proper food preparation, nutritional value, food hygiene, and the dish itself. A well-cooked dish requires different ingredients and procedures to achieve its full-potential flavor.
Food seasoning is responsible for intensifying the food’s natural flavor, and it is more than just salt and pepper. It extends to herbs, spices, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, and honey. It makes the food interesting. It is important to properly balance the mixture of seasoning in the food to create a tasteful dish.
Suppose you wonder about the best seasoning in your kitchen, well then, don’t be too hard on yourself. It is probably right in front of your kitchen counter, and you have probably met it a thousand times. If you’re a garlic lover, you’ve probably known a lot about this spice, but if you are not, you may read this to help you to get to know garlic a lot better.
History
Garlic is one of the ancient cultivated crops. The name garlic comes from the word garleac which means a spear leek. It is classified as a botanical plant considered a vegetable consisting of a bulb, tall stem, and long leaves. It is one of the lily family related to onion, shallots, and leeks.
It is originally native in central Asia, South Asia, and southwestern Siberia. Later, spread and cultivated across the globe and used as the primary ingredient of the food. Historically, Garlic has been used as food, medicine, aphrodisiac, evil protection, money, and magic potion.
Storage
Garlic is commonly in the kitchen as the primary herb or spice to a dish. It can be used in many ways either crushed, peeled, chopped, minced, pickled, roasted, boiled, sauteed or in supplement form. Using garlic will provide a strong taste to the food. If you are fond of using garlic well, it is good for you as it cannot just simply enhance the food but can also offer you with numerous benefits.
When buying garlic, make sure to choose the good one. Select the firm and the intact paper-like skin with no sign of blemishes, sprouting, and soft spots. The bulk of garlic can be made to last quite a while when stored properly. Place the garlic in a cool, dark, and dry area with good ventilation. When the garlic is chopped, make sure to refrigerate and put it in an airtight container to avoid the odor from affecting the other food.
Cooking with Garlic
Knowing how to use the seasonings is as important as it should be. Dried seasonings are added at the beginning of the cooking process, while the fresh seasonings are added late. It is important to practice under-seasoning during the cooking process to adjust the preferred taste of the food.
You should not add garlic too early in the pan; it is best to keep the heat low before adding the garlic and gradually increase the heat when other ingredients are added to the pan to avoid burning it. The same rule applied when roasting it in an oven, keep the temperature below 375 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain the garlic’s softness and taste.
Benefits of the Garlic
Aside from its aromatic and flavorsome characteristic, garlic contains medicinal properties that are beneficial for the body. It is rich with sulfur compounds, particularly allicin, responsible for its aroma and medicinal contents. The garlic can produce these compounds by damaging the tissue in chopping or crushing the cloves.
Due to its possessed properties, garlic provides essential health benefits that can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, treat respiratory infections, antioxidants, and antimicrobial effects, enhance the immune system, and serve as the natural repellent against attacking pests.
Garlic Dishes
If you are a garlic lover, there are plenty of dishes that you can cook, from snacks to soup to vegetable dishes. You may consider these garlicky dishes such as garlic pasta, garlic shrimp, roasted garlic soup, lemon garlic fish, garlic and thyme quinoa patties, and cauliflower soup with toasted garlic that will best serve as the main dish.
You may consider garlic bread, garlic knots, garlic aioli, garlic herb popcorn, sesame garlic chips for snacks. For the side dish, hearty garlic greens, cheesy garlic mashed cauliflower, roasted garlic, and spicy broccoli with garlic. Garlic is a superfood that contains essential health benefits. You may choose your favorite dish and include it in your diet.
Takeaway
Food is the primary source of our energy. Without proper consumption of nutritional food may result in a great risk. It is important to provide the food with appropriate ingredients to ensure its nutrition. Our body is our asset, so taking good care of ourselves through proper food intake, proper health routine, and discipline will greatly benefit us. What we eat is what we are.