Smashing garlic, rather than finely mincing it, offers several advantages:
Gentler Release of Flavor
Smashing garlic is a gentler method compared to other techniques like chopping or mincing. As stated in the reference, garlic is composed of tiny cells filled with pungent, sulfur-based liquid. Smashing breaks some of these cells, releasing the flavorful juice, but not all of them. This results in a more nuanced flavor profile, avoiding the harshness that can result from completely pulverizing the garlic.
Enhanced Flavor Infusion
The partially broken cells allow for better flavor infusion into dishes. When you smash the garlic, the larger pieces maintain some structural integrity, allowing the flavorful compounds to gradually interact with other ingredients during cooking. This creates a more complex and integrated flavor in the final product.
Examples of Smashing Garlic in Recipes:
- Roasted Vegetables: Smashing garlic cloves before roasting allows their flavor to permeate the vegetables evenly without overpowering them.
- Sauces and Stews: Smashed garlic contributes a deeper, more subtle flavor to simmering sauces and stews compared to minced garlic which can sometimes become bitter.
- Pasta Dishes: Smashing garlic before sautéing can add a deeper, less acrid flavor to pasta dishes.
Preserving Texture
While releasing flavor, smashing maintains some of the garlic's texture, preventing it from becoming a mushy paste. This is particularly important when you want to retain some textural contrast in a dish.
