6 Easy Hacks to Reduce Raw Garlic’s Strong Taste Without Cooking

Garlic has strong antioxidant properties due to its nutritional and phenolic compounds. But, let's be honest — its strong taste isn’t for everyone! Here are some easy tricks to tone it down while still enjoying its perks. Here are a few fun ideas you can try:

6 Kitchen Hacks to Mellow Down Raw Garlic’s Strong Flavour

Raw garlic is a superfood which boosts immunity, improves heart health, and aids digestion. While it’s healthy, its intense, sharp taste can sometimes be overwhelming. Luckily, you don’t have to skip its benefits just because of the harsh flavour. 

Here are 6 super-easy ways to mellow raw garlic’s sharpness without cooking it:

1. Choose Right Garlic For Cooking 

While buying garlic, make sure to choose the right garlic so that it doesn't affect your dish and maintain the flavour. In an Instagram video, Chef Pankaj Bhadouria shared, “Garlic that smells like garlic is probably damaged or bruised and has already lost all its flavour and won’t give you the flavour you want while cooking. Undamaged garlic will only release its flavour, aroma, taste in cooking when you cut it, chop it, mash it or grind it.” So make sure to follow this expert tip.

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2. Soak it in Milk

One of the most effective tricks is to soak peeled garlic cloves in milk for 10–15 minutes. The fat in milk helps neutralise the strong sulphur compounds, making the garlic milder and easier on the taste buds, according to the Local Aromas (Italian food and wine company).

3. Crush and Let it Rest

Crushing garlic and letting it sit for 5–10 minutes before using it reduces its pungency. The resting time allows allicin (the compound that makes it sharp) to balance both taste and health benefits.

4. Add Lemon Juice or Vinegar

Acids like lemon juice or vinegar soften the harsh taste of raw garlic. Mix minced garlic with a little lemon juice, let it sit for a few minutes, and you’ll notice a milder, tangier flavour. The Garlic Farm (UK’s largest specialist garlic grower) states, “Acid, such as that present in vinegar or lemon juice, also denatures allinase, preventing allicin being made.”

5. Pair it with Yogurt or Curd

Garlic tastes much smoother when combined with creamy ingredients. Mix minced raw garlic into curd or yoghurt-based dips and raitas. It adds flavour without overwhelming your palate.

6. Salt Cure the Garlic

Sprinkle a pinch of salt over crushed or minced garlic and press it with the side of a knife. The salt breaks down the harsh compounds, making it gentler while enhancing its flavour.

With these quick kitchen hacks, you don’t have to sacrifice raw garlic’s health perks for taste. Try them out and enjoy your salads, dips, and chutneys without that intense aftertaste!

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Image credit: Freepik.