Allicin is very volatile; it breaks down over a few hours and also breaks down when heated. Therefore, depending on how the garlic is handled, it can be pungent and sharp, or smooth, creamy, and mellow. To create a pungent garlic flavor, cut the garlic finely, and add it only at the end of cooking, minimizing its exposure to heat. Whole cloves, by contrast, when added to a dish will render only a mild garlicky flavor, especially if cooked for a long period. The middle ground is to slice garlic cloves, and cook them in the dish for a moderate period.
For example, consider the famous Provencal dish of “chicken with forty cloves of garlic”, which can sound very scary for people who are garlic shy. However, as the chicken and unskinned garlic cloves, i.e. cloves which still have the inedible paper sheaves, are braised together in olive oil and wine for a long period, the garlic becomes soft enough to be squeezed onto bread. The taste is creamy and mild enough to substitute for butter.
By contrast, minced garlic is usually added at the last moment to a dish like Pasta with Garlic and Oil to intensify the garlic flavor. I have included a recipe below which uses both mellow, roasted garlic and sharp, raw garlic to reach an optimal flavor balance for this dish.
There are a number of garlic types, but unless you search out mail order sources, you will usually be buying the California variety in the market. Do not purchase so-called “elephant garlic” thinking you will get a true garlic flavor. Elephant garlic is actually a relative of leeks. When buying garlic, look for a head or bulb - the terms are interchangeable - with the papery sheaf intact. The cloves should be plump and firm, and no green sprouts should be visible. There are usually 12 – 16 cloves in a bulb. Store garlic, in a cool place, with good air circulation – never in the refrigerator. Garlic should last for up to two months.
