It's Always Worth It To Add This To The Grill Each Time You Cook Anything

Grilling isn't just a means of preparing food. For many, the grill symbolizes the sunny season and the chill vibes of cooking outside, preferably with a cold drink in hand. Plus, the food that comes off a sizzling hot grill just tastes great. But if you want another reason to light up the coals, consider the fact that you can easily recreate the awesomeness of roasted garlic by placing your garlic bulbs right on the grill. Vivian Villa, chef and founder of UnButter, a plant-based butter company, gave us some insight on how to get the job done.

She mentioned that there are a few simple methods to get your garlic sweet and tender on the grill. Villa said, "Whole garlic bulbs placed on the grill steam and soften. Bulbs that are cropped off at the top and drizzled with oil will pick up more of a roasted caramel flavor; garlic wrapped in foil (shiny side in) will grill faster if the bulb is slightly smashed, separating the cloves."

Villa also offered some tips on keeping garlic from becoming dried out or burnt, since temperatures on a grill can spike quickly — especially when covered. She suggested, "For long grilling, soaking a garlic bulb in water for a few minutes helps prevent burning; bulbs that have been cut open benefit from a drizzle of oil to prevent drying out." As to the ideal temperature for grilling garlic bulbs, Villa said 325 degrees Fahrenheit is perfect.

Roasted (or, in this case, grilled) garlic is an amazing ingredient to have on hand because it can add the most delicious, sweet but still umami flavor to so many things. The garlic cloves soften to the consistency of butter and the cooking heat reduces the sharp bite and bitterness of the allium bulb. Here's the thing: just because you throw a bulb or two of garlic on the grill alongside your other food doesn't mean you have to use the cloves during that meal. Simply freeze the cooked cloves, build up a stock of them, and they're handy for wherever you want them.

However, if you're like me and you can't resist a softened, grilled head of garlic, you can use it immediately in several different ways. By mixing the softened cloves with butter and a few herbs, you can make compound butter, which is delicious melted over grilled beef or pork, or even hamburgers. You can also use the butter to make garlic bread. Sometimes when my husband grills, I'll make a simple side dish of spaghetti tossed with roasted cherry tomatoes and basil. If I had some grilled garlic, I'd crush some of the cloves into a paste in a bowl, then add my cooked spaghetti to it, followed by the tomatoes. When everything is tossed together, the garlic paste should coat the pasta.

You can incorporate the garlic into mashed potatoes; instantly boost your tuna salad (seriously!); elevate sauces, gravies, and dressings; or add it to homemade mayonnaise or aioli and serve it with some hot, crispy french fries. This grilled delight is welcome anywhere you want to add deliciously sweet garlic flavor.