For Effortlessly Perfect Roasted Garlic Ditch Your Oven And Grab This Appliance

Some kitchen tips and tricks involve ways to do a task faster and easier, while others try to make it more foolproof. Today's helpful hint falls into the latter category. Oven-roasted garlic is tasty, and cooking it in the air fryer is quick. If you're already grilling, you can throw a whole head of garlic on the grates. In all of these instances, however, there's always the possibility of leaving it in (or on, if you're grilling) too long to the point where it burns and becomes bitter. Enter the crockpot, an appliance that, well, technically won't roast your garlic, since roasting usually implies using an oven. Even so, slow-cooked garlic is as soft and flavorful as the roasted kind, but the best part is that you can "set and forget" with little danger of scorching.

To make crockpot garlic, cut about half an inch off the top of a whole, unpeeled head of garlic. Pour two tablespoons of cooking oil into your slow cooker, then put the garlic in with the cut side facing down. Set the pot on low and cook for about four to five hours until the food is soft — no need to wrap the garlic in foil since the oil keeps it from sticking. If you've bought a bag of pre-peeled garlic or are eager to try our fun and functional garlic-peeling hack of shaking it between two bowls, you can also cook naked cloves by tossing them in oil to ensure each one is coated. Depending on how many cloves you use, you might need a bit less oil, since you only really need enough to grease the garlic and the bottom of the pot.

Roasted, or rather slow-cooked, garlic is far less pungent than raw garlic, and all on its own it makes a delicious spread for a slice of French or Italian bread. It can also be used to flavor a compound butter or mixed with cream cheese or sour cream to make a dip for chips or crackers. Combined with oil and vinegar, smashed cooked garlic turns into a tangy vinaigrette dressing that will dress up greens and cooked vegetables. A few cloves of cooked garlic can also add flavor to mashed and baked potatoes, potato salad, and corn on the cob.

Crockpot garlic can be spread over steaks, chicken, or fish, either before or after they're cooked. Another idea for using it is to stir it into tuna salad as an aromatic upgrade. To make your pizza extra-garlicky, try squeezing a few cloves of cooked garlic over the crust before you add the sauce. For a simple side, you can also stir it into pasta along with some olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Whatever you choose to do with your slow-cooked garlic, store it in a jar of oil in the fridge. It will last for about two weeks, and as a bonus, you can use the slightly garlicky oil in a marinade or salad dressing.