How to Prepare & Store Aromatics
Fresh aromatics like garlic and ginger will elevate any dish and take it to the next level. Unfortunately, it takes planning and extra prep time we often don’t have, for every single meal we make. Unless we do all the planning and prep beforehand that is. The following tips will not only make it easy to have ready-to-go aromatics for anytime you cook, they will extend your food’s lifespan, too.
We often use garlic powder in our recipes to avoid the hassle of cleaning fresh garlic cloves. Once cooked, the compound that gives it the garlicky “bite” called allicin is gone so, most of the time, the powdered version is all you need. If you do want your food to have that strong taste of garlic, the hassle is inevitable. You can make it easier on yourself and clean the garlic cloves in bulk ahead of time and have one tedious step less, in the future.
- Remove the outer layer of the garlic bulb. Carefully remove the skin from each clove (try not to break the outer layer of the clove itself).
- Add a piece of paper towel into a ziplock bag or tupperware to soak in any moisture that will accumulate during storage.
- Add your peeled garlic cloves.
- Keep the bag (or tupperware) in the fridge for up to a month.
Now whenever you need to use fresh garlic, you can take the cloves out and press or cut them in seconds.
Onions freeze really well and don’t require blanching beforehand. You can dice an entire bag of onions once you bring them home, add them to multiple ziplock bags (or tupperware) and place them in the freezer. They will last well for up to 6 months. The only drawback in using this method is that they will only be good for cooked dishes but not salads so you may want to keep a couple of fresh onions in the fridge and freeze the rest.
- Place the entire bag of unpeeled onions in the freezer for 25-30 minutes. This will allow you to cut them without tearing up.
- Take out of the freezer, peel and dice them.
- Split into portions ~ 1 onion per portion. You can use multiple ziplock bags or you can use tupperware. If you are using tupperware you can separate the onions using clingfilm or baking paper layers. You don’t want your onions frozen in one block - you won’t be able to easily separate them afterwards. Pack your chopped onions really well as the smell will travel throughout the fridge. If you are using ziplock bags, double-bag them.
- Keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Ginger and turmeric powders work great for most recipes but sometimes you need that extra kick that only fresh ingredients can give you. Cleaning fresh ginger and turmeric is time consuming. Plus, they tend to go bad in the most inopportune moments. You think you have some fresh ginger in your house but it’s gone all moldy while no one was watching. So, once you buy fresh ginger or fresh turmeric, prep them right away for months of use.
- Wash and peel fresh ginger and turmeric once you bring them home.
- Cut them into small pieces.
- Place them in ziplock bags or tupperware.
- Keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When peeling fresh turmeric, wear disposable gloves and use a small paring knife. It’ll stain everything it touches including the knife. To remove the stains off the knife, use a cotton pad soaked in methylated spirit. They’ll eventually come off on their own with use but if you like your knives clean, use methylated spirit to remove the stains right away.
You can freeze lemon juice, too. This method works great if you don’t want to squeeze the juice and wash the juice press all the time. There are only two drawbacks to this: 1) the juice will lose 50% of its vitamin C (it’s not relevant for cooked dishes) and 2) defrosting will take extra time if you are making a dressing.
- Squeeze 2-3 lemons into an ice-cube tray.
- Keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
If you don’t want to keep them in the ice-cube tray, take the lemon juice cubes out once frozen solid and place them into a ziplock bag or tupperware. Return the cubes into the freezer and take out as many as you need for any given recipe.
1 cube = ½ tablespoon
Summary
You will save time when cooking and keep your food fresher longer with these tips. You are also more likely to reach for ready-to-go ingredients when cooking simply because they are now more convenient. Freezing also increases your herbs and aromatics lifespan since cold temperatures, especially temperatures below zero, significantly slow down the process of bacterial growth and food spoiling. Most importantly, though, prepping and freezing your aromatics and herbs will save you a lot of time cooking your everyday meals which will lead you to a) be more likely to cook in the first place b) make your food look more appetizing c) boost your food’s nutritional value.
Delicious healthy home cooked meals don’t need to mean hours in the kitchen and a mess to clean up afterwards.
