topic Onions &/or garlic or both? in Kitchen

Onions &/or garlic or both?

qualitygal — Tue, 20 May 2014 11:40:36 GMT

How do you use these two? Do you prefer one over the other, do you use the real deal or do you use it from a spice container? Is there one you use in everything (almost) or how do you use it?

I use a Mrs. Dash Garlic on egg beaters in a.m. and I have to have onion in a lot of beef dishes.

I also wonder if anyone uses just the onion for onion rings or types of food that way or garlic the same way.

More to learn.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

debic — Tue, 20 May 2014 14:39:22 GMT

Both, and on almost everything I cook. I buy in bulk at Costco or Sams since it's hard to get decent produce here. I dice up the onions, measure out 1 cup and vacuum and freeze. For garlic I roast it with a little olive oil and mash them into small silicone ice cube trays.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

willdob3 — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:06:23 GMT

I use both garlic & onion with almost everything. The real deal.

The only thing I can think of where I use one but not the other is when I make liver & onions. It would probably taste good with garlic added, too.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

debic — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:08:18 GMT

On 5/20/2014 willdob3 said:
I use both garlic & onion with almost everything. The real deal.

The only thing I can think of where I use one but not the other is when I make liver & onions. It would probably taste good with garlic added, too.

Don't forget the bacon.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

PamelaSue72 — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:21:14 GMT

I use onions and garlic all the time. I love to dehydrate onions and then stick them into the freezer in freezer bags. I will also dice onions in 1-cup portions and freeze them that way, same as I do with green and red peppers as well as hot peppers....it's always great to have chopped onions and peppers on hand in the freezer when I'm pressed for time. I don't like to use minced garlic from spices; I will mince as I need. Always buy my garlic fresh. We love roasted garlic in a butter spread for freshly baked breads, too.

I make liver and onions for myself (DH won't eat liver) and I don't put garlic in that. Other than that, I usually use both onions and garlic in my foods.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

willdob3 — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:23:17 GMT

On 5/20/2014 debc said:
On 5/20/2014 willdob3 said:
I use both garlic & onion with almost everything. The real deal.

The only thing I can think of where I use one but not the other is when I make liver & onions. It would probably taste good with garlic added, too.

Don't forget the bacon.

Yes! Bacon with liver & onions is a treat! A friend told me to try it or I'd never have thought of it.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

debic — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:29:51 GMT

On 5/20/2014 PamelaSue72 said:
I use onions and garlic all the time. I love to dehydrate onions and then stick them into the freezer in freezer bags. I will also dice onions in 1-cup portions and freeze them that way, same as I do with green and red peppers as well as hot peppers....it's always great to have chopped onions and peppers on hand in the freezer when I'm pressed for time. I don't like to use minced garlic from spices; I will mince as I need. Always buy my garlic fresh. We love roasted garlic in a butter spread for freshly baked breads, too.

I make liver and onions for myself (DH won't eat liver) and I don't put garlic in that. Other than that, I usually use both onions and garlic in my foods.

My brother dehydrates his onions also. He grows a ton of them and he likes it better than freezing. He stores them in canning jars that have been vacuumed with his foodsaver.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

house_cat — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:36:20 GMT

I love them both, but if I had to create a recipe with just one of them, I'd choose onion. In my opinion, there is no better fragrance on Earth than the fragrance of onions caramelizing. Give me that over roses any day! QVC needs to bottle that scent!

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

debic — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:52:15 GMT

On 5/20/2014 willdob3 said:
On 5/20/2014 debc said:
On 5/20/2014 willdob3 said:
I use both garlic & onion with almost everything. The real deal.

The only thing I can think of where I use one but not the other is when I make liver & onions. It would probably taste good with garlic added, too.

Don't forget the bacon.

Yes! Bacon with liver & onions is a treat! A friend told me to try it or I'd never have thought of it.

My Dad always liked sage on his too, so when I cooked for him I added that.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

JustJules — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:54:35 GMT

I use both, and the real deal. Garlic has a completely different taste than onion, not the same thing at all. It depends on what I am cooking, but I tend to use more garlic than I do onion.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

faeriemoon — Tue, 20 May 2014 15:58:01 GMT

Both. Fresh.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

Dynamite — Tue, 20 May 2014 16:19:56 GMT

Occasionally I use garlic powder ... hardly ever onion spice. I prefer fresh garlic but my husband (who has professional culinary training) often uses pre-minced garlic (store bought from a jar).

I admit that is much easier if you use a garlic press ... those things are not fun to clean.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

suzyQ3 — Tue, 20 May 2014 16:43:45 GMT

They are very different from each other, so it is not a choice between the two. Life without both fresh onions and garlic is simply not worth living.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

Pickwickpapers — Tue, 20 May 2014 16:55:54 GMT

Both, I enjoy them together or apart.........growing up my Mom did not like either very much but she would use some onion but once I discovered the beautiful flavors that garlic and onion can add to food, I am hooked..........

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

Ladybug724 — Tue, 20 May 2014 17:11:28 GMT

Onions!!! It's why I have no friends

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

ChynnaBlue — Tue, 20 May 2014 17:18:08 GMT

I use them both. You can't substitute one for the other, so I use both sometimes and one other times. I like to include onions and garlic when I roast vegetables.

I prefer using fresh onions and garlic, but I sometimes use garlic salt instead of salt in meat rubs.

I don't use butter on many things at all, but I like to melt a stick or two of butter and include some garlic (both smashed and finely chopped), salt, pepper, and herbs. I take it off the heat and pour it into a container, stirring occasionally until it solidifies into an herbed butter and then I pop it in the freezer. You don't have to melt it first, but I find that helps infuse the garlic throughout. When I make pasta, I just toss a spoonful of the herbed butter over the pasta and toss it to coat.

I don't like peeling garlic and I don't like the prepared garlic as much as fresh, so I buy pre-peeled cloves in the grocery store. It's a little more expensive, but it saves a lot of time and I feel better tossing 5 cloves in a roasting pan when I didn't have to peel them and know that I have 20 more unpeeled cloves in the fridge. My mom uses freeze dried garlic and I think that's a pretty good option. She has all kinds of health issues and keeping fresh garlic around isn't as easy for her because she can't be sure when she'll feel healthy enough to cook and when she won't, so I'm glad she's found another option that works better for her. I think it's important to adapt your cooking and your kitchen to what works for YOU.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

suzyQ3 — Tue, 20 May 2014 17:40:59 GMT

On 5/20/2014 ChynnaBlue said:
I use them both. You can't substitute one for the other, so I use both sometimes and one other times. I like to include onions and garlic when I roast vegetables.

I prefer using fresh onions and garlic, but I sometimes use garlic salt instead of salt in meat rubs.

I don't use butter on many things at all, but I like to melt a stick or two of butter and include some garlic (both smashed and finely chopped), salt, pepper, and herbs. I take it off the heat and pour it into a container, stirring occasionally until it solidifies into an herbed butter and then I pop it in the freezer. You don't have to melt it first, but I find that helps infuse the garlic throughout. When I make pasta, I just toss a spoonful of the herbed butter over the pasta and toss it to coat.

I don't like peeling garlic and I don't like the prepared garlic as much as fresh, so I buy pre-peeled cloves in the grocery store. It's a little more expensive, but it saves a lot of time and I feel better tossing 5 cloves in a roasting pan when I didn't have to peel them and know that I have 20 more unpeeled cloves in the fridge. My mom uses freeze dried garlic and I think that's a pretty good option. She has all kinds of health issues and keeping fresh garlic around isn't as easy for her because she can't be sure when she'll feel healthy enough to cook and when she won't, so I'm glad she's found another option that works better for her. I think it's important to adapt your cooking and your kitchen to what works for YOU.

I hate not only the peeling but the slicing or mincing. If it were up to me, I'd buy the peeled cloves, too, just to get rid of one chore.

Fortunately, my husband is the chef here, and he loves all the prep stuff.

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

Ladybug724 — Tue, 20 May 2014 18:01:36 GMT

On 5/20/2014 suzyQ3 said:
On 5/20/2014 ChynnaBlue said:
I use them both. You can't substitute one for the other, so I use both sometimes and one other times. I like to include onions and garlic when I roast vegetables. I prefer using fresh onions and garlic, but I sometimes use garlic salt instead of salt in meat rubs. I don't use butter on many things at all, but I like to melt a stick or two of butter and include some garlic (both smashed and finely chopped), salt, pepper, and herbs. I take it off the heat and pour it into a container, stirring occasionally until it solidifies into an herbed butter and then I pop it in the freezer. You don't have to melt it first, but I find that helps infuse the garlic throughout. When I make pasta, I just toss a spoonful of the herbed butter over the pasta and toss it to coat. I don't like peeling garlic and I don't like the prepared garlic as much as fresh, so I buy pre-peeled cloves in the grocery store. It's a little more expensive, but it saves a lot of time and I feel better tossing 5 cloves in a roasting pan when I didn't have to peel them and know that I have 20 more unpeeled cloves in the fridge. My mom uses freeze dried garlic and I think that's a pretty good option. She has all kinds of health issues and keeping fresh garlic around isn't as easy for her because she can't be sure when she'll feel healthy enough to cook and when she won't, so I'm glad she's found another option that works better for her. I think it's important to adapt your cooking and your kitchen to what works for YOU.

I hate not only the peeling but the slicing or mincing. If it were up to me, I'd buy the peeled cloves, too, just to get rid of one chore.

Fortunately, my husband is the chef here, and he loves all the prep stuff.

I learned a trick from Rachel Ray about how to easily remove the peel from garlic. Take the back of a big knife, lay it on the garlic clove, and with the palm of your hand hit the knife firmly. It takes the peel right off and then just mince it and voila!

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

stilltamn8r — Tue, 20 May 2014 18:04:32 GMT

Both...fresh..the exception is that Ido a lot of smoking and BBQ ing and I use the granulated types in my homemade rubs....

Re: Onions &/or garlic or both?

Classylady — Tue, 20 May 2014 18:11:53 GMT

I use both all the time. Love the fresh ones. I also have the spice jar kind as well.

I like to roast the garlic on the grill outside, then mash it up in some soften butter, put it in saran wrap and roll it up in a log. Always ready when I want garlic bread or mashed potatoes.

I haven't put garlic in the liver and onion gravy yet. But who knows about me. LOL

I smack mine with a large knife but I saw Martha Stewart once put hers in a metal bowl with lid and shake real hard and all the peel was off. Haven't tried that yet.