Can Prepared Garlic Compete With Fresh? - The Taste Test

While nothing beats fresh garlic in your weeknight meals, it can be a pain to prepare. So is there a substitute for peeling and prepping fresh garlic? Let's put it to the taste. Welcome to The Taste Test, the show where the ATK Reviews team goes above and beyond tasting ingredients so that you can make smart decisions when you shop. Today, I'm joined by my colleague, who is a test cook, recipe developer, and associate editor, and a cast member of our kiss country TV show, Kelly Song. So excited to be here. I'm so glad you're here. We're going to have fun. Oh, yeah. So a lot of people have a love-hate relationship with garlic in the kitchen. How do you feel? I mean, I adore garlic. I try to put it in everything I can. And growing up with Chinese cuisine, you see garlic in almost every dish. But prepping it can be a bit of a hassle, especially if I'm, you know, in the kitchen, I'm in a bit of a rush. It's a task I sometimes offload to help her in the kitchen, you know? Yeah, you go mince that garlic while I do this. Yeah, it's very fun. Today, we're going to taste seven different substitutes for fresh garlic. So you don't have to wrestle with the clove and the little papery peel and the smell. And we're going to taste it in pasta. Pasta with olive oil and garlic is something where, if the garlic isn't good, it kind of wrecks the whole dish. So we're going to find out which ones are great and which ones are maybe you want to avoid. What do you think? Sounds delicious and daunting, but I'm excited. Yeah, we can do this. Let's get started. So here's our first sample. I'm so curious what it is. Me too. It smells kind of mildly garlicky. I expect it to really get a face full of garlic smell. Right. It's not sharp at all. It's very mellow, although it does have a scent. Yeah. It has little pieces in there. They look quite dark, actually. Yeah, it's kind of brownish. I'm not sure why. There's a slight bitterness to it that I'm kind of, right off the bat, that's what I'm reacting to. There's, to me, like a slightly burning aftertaste, too. Yeah, it sort of lingers. Yeah, and it's not really fresh tasting to me. Agreed. It's lacking that sharpness. It's not really on the nose, kind of muted. You want to find out what it is? Yeah. Okay, it is gourmet garden minced garlic. It's in a little tube. You keep it refrigerated. This is what it looks like when you squeeze it out of the tube. It's almost like toothpaste to it. Probably not a good idea to substitute for your minty toothpaste, but otherwise, it looks similar. It says that one teaspoon is equal or equivalent to one clove of fresh garlic. Obviously, it's kind of pureed, and I'm looking here, and there's some, it's got dextrose, canola oil, sea salt, glycerin, pea fiber, citric acid, vinegar, xanthan gum as a thickener. I think we were detecting some of those flavors, and especially, I'm thinking the citric acid was coming through very acidic and bright. The vinegar as well. The vinegar, yeah, yeah. We were both noticing that, and it has some other things in it that give it that texture. When we used it in a vinaigrette, it faded out. It was kind of masked by the vinegar in the vinaigrette, but in pasta, this really came through. Oh, that makes sense. When it's already in a bright application, maybe you wouldn't get that. That would disappear a little bit, yeah. Interesting. Yeah, I think it's got some pluses in the sense that this is way easier to store. This has 23 servings per container, so this is equivalent to 23 cloves of garlic in this little tube. That's kind of cool. That's a good amount of garlic, yeah. And I like that you could probably just squeeze however much you need, and it's very clean, and then you would just put it right back to a paste. Yeah, it's convenient, but I think it's, for me, a little bit of a rank down from fresh. Yes, definitely. Oh, wow. This is interesting. Yeah, immediately, I'm noticing all the bits are very prominent on the sample itself. Yeah, and it's not as brown as the last one. For some reason, that other one really browned. This is more of a normal color. Yeah, no caramelization. It almost looks like raw garlic, just visually. Yeah, I have to say, thumbs down for me. I still get that acidity that we had gotten in the last sample. Yeah, but I don't taste any garlic, per se. I agree, it actually looks almost scary how much garlic, visually, I'm seeing, but I don't taste it at all. Yeah, I just have kind of a burn on my tongue. Yeah, a lingering burn. Yeah, it's sad. It's like, I don't even particularly smell it. It almost has like a rubbery texture to it. Just what you want. Yeah, want to find out what this is? Yeah. Here it comes. Oh, wow. Goya minced garlic. Wow, I'm shocked. It looks really enticing, just in the jar. It's almost like preserved in amber or something. Yeah, you can see all these pieces. It looks very, like, distinct pieces. Let's see if it has any additives. Garlic, water, citric acid. So that citric acid, it's a preservative, but it's, like, dominating the garlic. Yeah. It's just like, whoa, I just taste that and, like, a little residue of garlic while it was fleeing. Like, ah, no. Yeah, exactly, bye. Yeah, I feel like garlic is already kind of a sharp product that I'm getting the wrong kind of sharpness from the citric acid. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, because you want, like, that fresh, robust pungency of garlic. But then what you're getting instead is this sort of, like, citric, lemony kind of tart vinegary kind of flavor. And the garlic just goes, like, flat for me. Agreed. It's almost deceiving because it looks like it's promising fresh garlic. It looks like minced garlic, but I taste it even less than the paste. One of the things we know about garlic is once you chop it, it starts this chemical reaction. So if you just smell a clove of garlic, it doesn't smell like garlic. Yes. Right, and then the more you cut and interfere with it, it releases this compound called allicin that makes that odor and flavor of garlic. And so this has been chopped a long time ago, I think, and put in the jar with some water and some citric acid to preserve it. It's just lost all of its flavor out. Yeah, I do find in the kitchen, the more I mince garlic, the more I prepare it, the more pungent it is. So it seems like this is over-prepared, but then it's lost in the water. Yeah, no, thumbs down in my opinion. Not a fan. Yeah. This smells better. Yeah, it's fragrant. Yeah, this looks good. The pieces are kind of small, but they're there, they're distributed. They are visible, yeah, but I agree, much smaller than the last sample. Yeah. That's pretty good. I quite like this one. Yeah, this one actually tastes like garlic. And not some other thing. I agree, I don't get any of that tanginess that we got in the last two samples. Yeah, the citric acid, the vinegar, I'm not getting that at all. And it doesn't taste that flat cooked flavor that I got. Yeah, I want to keep eating it. It has like a certain amount of garlic intensity, that robustness, that full flavor that you're kind of looking for. Agreed. In the first sample, I was saying it tasted bitter, but this one, I still get that sharpness. It's there, the slight natural bitterness, but it doesn't taste off or chemically at all. If someone told me this was fresh garlic, I wouldn't question them. Yeah. Yeah, no, me too. I think it's good. Let's find out what it is. Okay, yeah, I'm excited. It is Doro Gardens crushed garlic, and this is frozen. So it's crushed and then frozen. And like, if you see the back here, it's all these little pods. Looks like little pills that you pop out, yeah. That's exactly what it is. You just pop out what you need. And they're each equivalent to a clove of garlic, and you get 16 cubes. And you just keep that in the freezer. I didn't even know this product existed. I know, right? Our tasting panel found it really had bright, fresh garlic flavor, just like we did. And they said it was almost indistinguishable from fresh garlic. I think we said the same. Yeah, yeah. And it's really convenient. Yeah, it almost has a roasted garlic color to it. Yeah, I don't know if that oxidizes once it's, no, it really is that color. It's sort of golden color. Yeah, but it doesn't eat like a mellow roasted garlic. It still eats like a sharp, fresh garlic. Right. That's interesting. This is frozen right after it's picked and crushed. So that just suspends that freshness because it's frozen. You keep it frozen, you pop out one little piece, and you go, and it's just as if you just crushed it. I love the idea, too, that this would stay good in the freezer for a long time, and you just have it on hand versus fresh garlic. I do find sometimes I get a mushy clove. Right. A bad surprise clove. Or it has like sprouted. Yes. Which totally changes the flavor, right? We tested this, and it turns out that if you just taste the sprout, it tastes fine. And the clove of garlic that's remaining that that grew out of is what tastes bad. It's not bad for you. It's not terrible. If you need to use it, go for it. We've learned, but it actually has that bitterness and that sharpness that's a little bit too much for when you want sort of a normal, mellow, rounded, full flavor. Gotcha, so maybe not in an application like this where it's really at the forefront, and then maybe opting for frozen at that point. Yeah, at that point, this is probably better to go to your freezer, get out one of these little pods, and go. I would just keep it as a backup. It's so small. You can tuck it into a corner of the freezer. If you need it, you got it. Really convenient, tastes great, really close to fresh. I think this is really good. Yeah, just don't confuse it with an ice cube tray. Yeah. Oh, very mellow. I don't get any. No, I smell the pasta before the garlic. That's so weird. And I'm not really seeing much either. I know, I'm looking and I don't, yeah, I see like one piece. Okay, two pieces. They're very small. Okay, well, here's hoping it tastes more garlicky than it looks. I'm getting salt. I agree, very salty right off the bat, and almost has a starchy mouthfeel, like a little bit pasty. There's garlicky-ish flavor. Yeah, a whisper of garlic. Yeah. Yeah, the idea of garlic. Right, it's weak, but also what's there is kind of flat and cooked to me. That's like something I really don't like about processed garlic, that flat cooked flavor. The more you process the garlic, the more allicin comes out. Slicing it, you get more flavor. Chopping it, you get more flavor. Mincing it, turning it into a paste. When you process the garlic, it changes the outcome. That's interesting that maybe the reverse would happen with the pre-made product, where you're processing it a lot, it's releasing those compounds, and then it just sits for a while and loses them. And they just, pew, get on the drain, yeah. Okay, let's find out what it is. This is amore, garlic paste. Like that other paste, this comes in a little tube. It's like a toothpaste tube. Like a tomato paste tube. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. So let's see what it has. Garlic, sunflower oil, salt, extra virgin olive oil, citrus fiber, and citric acid. Again, the preservatives, they're trying to hang on to that garlic flavor after it's been processed. Yeah, it's also leaving a little bit of a film in my mouth, kind of what I was perceiving here, like a sheen or something that's just, it doesn't sit quite right. And it also just doesn't have enough flavor. Honestly, if I had a tube of garlic paste, I want that thing to be like a firecracker. You open that and like garlic will come out, but eh, no. It seems convenient and handy, like you said, but it's not amore for me. Yeah, no amore, sorry amore. Wow, I see it right away. I know, it's so different from the last one where it was just like gone. Yeah, almost looks like sesame seeds or something. Yeah, these are big pieces. Just clinging on. It doesn't have the most powerful aroma. Agreed, yeah, I still smell noodle more than I do garlic. It tastes like straight vinegar, actually, to me. It does, totally. It's, what else is wrong with this? It's just not there. It's not garlicky. Not at all, yeah. It's not perfumed or aromatic or flavorful at all. This might be my least favorite so far, actually. It's super disappointing because it looks right. Yes. But it didn't have a really good smell. I mean, it didn't have a bad smell, it just didn't smell like garlic. Yeah, I just tried an individual piece and it's pungent, but it's not great. And I can only imagine in a vinaigrette or something where it's, yeah, not cooked. It's no good. Let's find out what it is. Okay. Pastine minced garlic. Oh, wow, reminds me of the Goya sample. Yeah, the jar is almost the same. Big, big pieces in here. Lots of liquid. I'm looking at the ingredients, garlic, water, citric acid. You know, once again, I don't think water or citric acid really improves garlic. No, they seem unnecessary. Almost like they're not in garlic. Yeah. Yeah, no, that tartness came through again. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I've seen jars like this at the grocery store. It's very deceiving because it does give you the illusion of, look, we minced your garlic for you. Yeah. Your garlic, yeah. Yeah, but I think your theory is right that, you know, after it's been minced and is preserved in a jar, this is shelf-stable. It sits there. It's just devolving. It's just becoming less and less like itself, like fresh garlic. The tasters thought less acidic than some jarred options was still a tart finish. Yeah, I would say. So we agree with the tasters. Absolutely, I think we're right there with them. Yeah. It's tempting to get this and say, oh, I just scooped some out, but it's not worth it. Yeah. So we're getting a little discouraged, but there's only two more to go. Maybe we'll find something else that we really love. I hope so, yeah. Yeah, so, wow. The whiplash. Yeah. I looked down at this. I just, you were so hopeful. Yeah, I was like, yay, oh. Yeah, womp womp, yeah. Yeah, it's very dark. Yeah, that's not appealing. No, it looks gray, almost black, and yeah, that doesn't look appealing at all. That is sharp, but not in a good way. Yeah, it's also really weak. I think, once again, I'm getting that acid sharpness, but not a lot of, no garlic flavor at all. Yeah, and not much scent, which is really, you know, when you eat, the smell is, right? Aroma contributes so much to the experience, yeah. It really does, and this doesn't have it, or what if there is, it's not that good. Yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of this. No, it's pretty sad. Let's find out what it is. Okay. Okay, this is dilallo minced roasted garlic. Oh, wow, yeah. It looks sort of like cat food. Yeah, sadly. It looks oxidized, like if you left a clove of garlic out for too long, and like you said, it turns dusty, almost. Yeah. It's just, it's sort of a jump scare. It really is. Well, the roasted part is kind of the giveaway. I mean, when you roast garlic, it becomes like really sweet and mellow. Jammy, yeah. The allicin is less present in roasted garlic, so it's nice and mellow, and this just looks wrong and tastes wrong. Yeah, it says dehydrated roasted garlic, so it sounds like that garlic has been through a lot already. Poor garlic, yeah. They roast it, they dry it out, they throw it in here with water and citric acid. Yeah, it's tired. It's olive oil, water, and citric acid. I didn't really taste the olive oil. I just tasted like old, tired, sad garlic. Yeah, and through the ringer, honestly. Our tasting panel put this one in last place just like you did. Wow, okay. I noticed we didn't really love any of the jarred garlic. Yeah, hated them all, actually. Yeah, yeah, let's not mince words. Yeah, exactly. Because really, it wasn't worth it to me. Like, it tastes so much less than fresh garlic that the convenience is completely like moot. I don't care. It doesn't taste fresh. It's not delicious. Yes. You just say, why bother, right? Exactly. Yeah. Mm. I see little pieces throughout. They're not all the same size, so they don't look sort of fake or anything. Exactly, they look really natural. Like, I'm getting little strands. I see just appealing garlic. It looks like regular garlic. That's pretty good. Yeah, that tastes like garlic. I definitely get that aroma that we've been lacking in the jarred products and the paste. It smells really delicious. Yeah, it's really floral. Yeah, and I'm getting kind of consistent, not overpowering, not underwhelming, just like consistent garlic flavor across the dish. Like, it's clinging to the strands nicely. And even though it's minced, it doesn't taste over-processed, like that allicin is not, it's not too sharp or kicking me in the mouth. Yeah, right? It just tastes good. I kind of want more. Let's find out what it is. Yeah. These are organic, whole peeled garlic cloves from Spice World. You know, they're just fresh peeled and there's nothing in there but garlic. It's in a little bag, ready to use. No peeling required. You know, this is certainly convenient. The cloves themselves have a little window. You can see they look like they're in decent shape. They're not all beat up. One tip that we've learned from Dan Souza is to smell the head of garlic in the store. That tells you that it hasn't been damaged, which means that that reaction hasn't started and isn't going to be finished before you cook the food. Exactly. If you smell, it smells like garlic in the store, it's probably gone over at that point. Yeah, you should like find one that doesn't smell like anything. Yeah, exactly. And we do use this in the test kitchen, actually. So I'm familiar with the product. And I do find that it holds up really nice in the fridge too just because you can keep it in the fridge. And so kind of have it on hand for a bit. It's a bit of a step down in terms of convenience from the frozen one because you do still have to mince it. But like we've been saying, you release the flavor right before cooking, which is probably the best time to do that. Yeah, if you're going to garnish a soup or something, you might want to slice it really thinly and toast those slices. And you have the option of doing other types of recipes with it. This was the number one pick from our tasting panel. If you need a little more convenience in your garlic, this is the way to go. The only barrier is this costs more. It costs about three times as much as fresh garlic. Well, it seems like even though it costs just a little bit more, this is a really worthwhile product. And I would certainly be reaching for this in my kitchen. I reach for it in the test kitchen all the time. So big fan of this one. So what was your favorite? What was your least favorite? Gosh, well, I loved these two. It's almost a tie for me in terms of convenience, but also versatility. And least favorite, another tie, I feel like these all three, I just really disliked. The jarred ones were just not it for me. And I would happily replace fresh garlic with those two for convenience. Yeah. I think like if you have to keep something on hand, I would put these in my freezer just as backup in case I'm out of fresh or my fresh garlic has suddenly gone all dusty or something. Kelly, thank you so much. This was so much fun. My garlic partner in crime. Thank you. Fellow garlic lover. Saving the world. That's right. One clove at a time. Here are the ATK Reviews team's official results. Not recommended. Delalo minced roasted garlic in pure olive oil. Goya minced garlic. Pastine minced garlic. Amore garlic paste. Recommended with reservations. Gourmet Garden garlic stir-in paste. And highly recommended, Doro Gardens crushed garlic. And our winner, Spice World fresh peeled organic garlic. For the full rankings, results, and reasons to buy or not, check out the story on our ATK app.