My garlic tastes bitter

What it is

Add it later than the onion, keep the heat moderate, and stop while it is pale gold. If it has gone dark, start that element again — you cannot cook the bitterness back out.

Why it works

Garlic has little water and a good deal of sugar and sulphur compounds, so it goes from raw to browned to scorched in a much shorter window than a wetter, denser vegetable. Chopped finer, it burns sooner still.

When to use it

Any dish that starts with aromatics in fat.

What goes wrong

Putting garlic in with the onion at the start; mincing it very fine for a long-cooked base; walking away during the thirty seconds it takes.

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My garlic tastes bitter

What it is

Why it works

When to use it

What goes wrong

More on this shelf

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