Hot take: pre-chopping garlic the day before kills the flavor

I saw a study in Cook's Illustrated that said garlic loses 60% of its allicin within 12 hours of cutting. Everyone in my kitchen swears by prepping mise the night before, but I think they are ruining every sauce we put out. Anyone else notice a difference when you use fresh vs. prepped?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan3d ago

Funny you mention that Cook's Illustrated study (I remember that exact issue actually). There's something about how allicin breaks down in the presence of oxygen that just kills the punchy garlic taste. My buddy who trained at a French place always says prepped garlic turns into a flat, almost sour flavor after sitting in a container overnight. You're not wrong to notice a difference, fresh crushed garlic just hits different right when it meets the heat.

the_john2d ago

That 48 hour mark is the REAL killer for prepped garlic. I've noticed the allicin drops off by like 70% after the first day, so by the time you hit day two it's basically just mild garlic water in a container.