Thanks CindyMac - maybe I'll try that, but you still have to squeeze each one, and that's for 5 heads of garlic :)! I would use it for lots of stuff - on pasta or veggies, homemade pizza, brush it on any meat... - I like garlic!

Like Cindy I've only done whole heads, I cut the top off, place each head of garlic into a cup on a muffin tin, drizzle with olive oil and roast, then squeeze the head to remove the garlic. It all comes out pretty well, but it's a bit messy and the dry papery bits sometimes get in the garlic I've squeezed out. It does pretty much mush up the garlic, so it's only good for puree. I usually freeze small dollops, as I don't use it very often and if I do a whole batch and just refrigerate it, it spoils and gets thrown away.

I do like garlic, and grow a lot of it, but I do not like it just spread on bread, as the television chefs suggest, I have to mix it with butter for garlic bread, and I don't want it in my mashed potatoes!

Annie

Why not use peeled garlic?

dcarch

dcarch - do you mean peel the 5 heads first then roast (still a little time consuming), or buy it already peeled? I got the organic heads from Trader Joe's; have never bought it pre-peeled.

This is the time of year I usually go through my garlic and cull out any that is sprouting or getting ready to sprout. We peel it all (DH puts it in a s/s bowl with another bowl on top and shakes the heck out of it.) Part of it is sliced and dried and the rest is tossed with olive oil, covered with foil and roasted. I freeze those cloves on trays and bag them up.

Katie, that's how I peel my garlic, I put all the cloves into a small pan with two handles, put the lid on and shake the heck out of it. I usually have to shake it, pick out the cleaned cloves, shake it some more, pick out some more, repeat until they are all clean, but it's a lot easier than peeling the things with a knife. There should still be pictures on one of the threds here, darned if I know how to find it, LOL.

I usually just peel them, put them in the food processor to slice, and then into the dehydrator. Like yours, mine sprouts, they started about a month ago, so they got dried.

Annie

Ok, thanks - think I saw that tip once - maybe a Martha Stewart video clip or something - think I will try that

It's a timing thing maybe. The bake temp and how long combo....so that would be a bit of a recipe and i just wing it. When i roast mixed root veggies i always add a couple heads of garlic. I slice off a bit of the tops, not the root end. Rub a bit of olive oil. They go in at the beginning with the beets and potatoes...other veg that needs less time goes in 1/2 hr later.

If my timing is off and they bake a bit longer i find the garlic gets too soft and sticky. A bit harder to remove. Usually, once cool, they slip right out of the skins. (and still nice and soft inside).

I've never found it too difficult either way as it is so good.

A video for the shake-a- bowl method is on food52

Did not work so well for me, as i could have peeled 10 heads by the time it took me to find two similar bowls to use and maybe my garlic was too fresh. Once i went at it and shook, checked, shook, felt stupid, shook...then still had to filter and separate. (the sound made my pups bonkers).

LOL, sleevendog, I didn't use two bowls, I used a Calphalon 2 quart pan with handles on each side and a tight fitting lid, worked like a charm, but I had a LOT of garlic, maybe 100 heads. I did a dozen heads or so at a time...

Annie

Well, maybe I'll try to shake one head, and if it doesn't work, I'll try to get the roasting timing right with the hopes that they will slip right out of the skins!

Here it is. Not Food52 but Saveur.

(mentions dry garlic, not fresh, ta da)
peeling garlic

Thanks everyone. I tried it with a pot & lid, as I don't think I have 2 bowls the same size. It worked ok - some of the heads peeled better than others (1 head didn't peel very well), and it worked better with the larger cloves than the smaller ones. Wonder if 2 bowls do work better than a pot with a lid. Anyway, being a work night, I was glad to get the peeling done at the front end of the task - it is roasting now. Must say I have never roasted chunks of garlic unpeeled, guess I thought it would dry out. It is covered, so the worst of the task should be over - thanks again!