How long does a clove of garlic stay fresh?

Question

so i bought some fresh garlic last month. (as this is the first time i've used garlic, i'm only assuming that what i bought is a clove. its white with skin, and it breaks into about 5 sections, and its about the size of a golf ball. is that a clove of garlic?) anyway, i been storing it on my kitchen counter. it still looks the same as it did last month. is it still safe to cook with?

Answer 1

Garlic is good for health but the smell some people can't bear but it remains for just an hour Clove is also good for teeth bu it's a nice smell

Answer 2

What you have is a head of garlic. The sections you talk about -- and I'd be surprised if there were only five-- are the cloves.

I keep mine in a garlic keeper on my kitchen counter. They're in the onion family, so if you think of how you keep onions, you're on the right track. How long they'll keep depends on temperature and humidity. Cool and dark is best. Warm and moist makes them want to sprout.

When you buy a head of garlic you want to make sure it's firm and there are no parts of it that are turning color.  

Likewise, the head will tell you when the garlic you have at home is past its prime. Cloves will wither and get soft and sometimes turn color. Sprouting garlic is still usable, but maybe you want to plant it. Garlic is a beauty in your garden.

My experience is that garlic heads will keep for several weeks, maybe a month or a more, but then I use garlic regularly so this isn't usually a problem for me unless I bought garlic that was less fresh than I thought.

One side point-- many recipes call for one or more cloves of garlic as the measure. You will soon notice that the size of clove can vary from nearly a teaspoonful to barely a sliver. I love garlic, so more is almost never a problem for me. I often double or triple the number of cloves in a marinara, for instance. This highlights the importance of tasting as you cook and adjusting seasonings.

Permit me one more side point-- I am surprised to see some recipes browning garlic first. Except in rare exceptions, garlic should never brown because it turns bitter (unlike caramelizing an onion). In general, always saute your onions first and add the garlic for the last minute or so just before adding the liquid ingredients.