Garlic doesn't have the best rep. It's known for mostly its foul smell and its ability to ruin a perfectly nice date night.
There are tons of ways to get rid of garlic breath, like drinking tea or milk, or adding parsley or cardamom to neutralize the garlicky leftover taste in your mouth.
HOWEVER! Garlic is not only a nuisance, but can enhance your dishes and make them more delicious if you know how to use it like the Iron Chefs do.
The first step to take your garlic from nasty vampire weapon to yummy ingredient is to preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Take out a pan and lightly douse the bottom in olive oil. Once your oven is preheated, place your garlic cloves in the pan and place it in the oven.
Once the cloves have reached a nice, brownish golden color, take them out of the oven. Going the extra mile with this preparation will help bring out that great garlic flavor.
Chop, dice, do whatever you want to do with your garlic. Press what remains with the flat side of a large knife. This step does two things. It squeezes out more flavor and it also ensures that you don't have huge pieces of garlic in your dish.
Don't bother with those fancy garlic presses, they're overpriced and your garlic usually ends up stuck inside the machinery bits.
Now add your amazing garlic to your dish and feel your imaginary bestie Alton Brown's praise overwhelm you.
