Most people have added garlic to most of their recipes. Garlic not only adds a delicious flavor to your food, but it also has significant health benefits. Most people add about three cloves of garlic to their food. Do you know how many teaspoons is a clove of garlic?
In some instances, you may have garlic powder, and you do not know how many teaspoons to add to your food. If you want to know the amount of garlic powder to add, you should know its conversions. Understanding garlic conversions will help you know how many teaspoons is a clove of garlic and how much you should add to your food.
How Many Teaspoons Is A Clove Of Garlic?
One medium-sized garlic bulb has around ten to twelve cloves of garlic. Bigger garlic might have more than that. One clove of garlic is about one and a half teaspoons of garlic. However, in some cases, the teaspoons may be less or more. The number of teaspoons of a clove of garlic depends on the size of the clove.
Garlic Conversions
Converting cloves to teaspoons is not hard once you know how many teaspoons is a clove of garlic. Since one clove is one and a half teaspoons, then two cloves are three teaspoons. Three cloves are four and a half, four cloves are six, five cloves are seven and a half, and six cloves are nine teaspoons.
If you want to convert cloves to tablespoon might be challenging to some people. You should note that the measurements depend on the size of the clove. Two cloves will result in one tablespoon. Three cloves are one and a half, four cloves are two, five cloves are two and a half, and six cloves are three tablespoons.
There is a difference in the number of teaspoons of minced and the regular garlic. Minced garlic is a finely cut garlic providing tiny pieces. The ratio of minced garlic to a teaspoon is one to one.
The ratio of a tablespoon to minced garlic is lower than when using regular garlic. You will have a third tablespoon of garlic from one clove, two-thirds from two cloves, and one tablespoon from three cloves. Moreover, ten cloves of garlic will amount to three and a third tablespoon.
When it comes to powdered garlic, things are a little bit different. Most people prefer using powdered garlic because it relieves them of the burden of peeling, dicing, or mincing them. It would be best to keep in mind that one clove of garlic will amount to one-eighth of a teaspoon.
About Garlic
Garlic belongs to the family of lilies and looks like an onion. A garlic head contains numerous cloves depending on its size. Most people cultivate and eat the type of garlic called ‘’Allium Sativum.’’
Alium Sativum has two varieties, namely the hardneck and the softneck varieties. The hardneck variety has longer cloves than the softneck, but they are fewer. You will buy a garlic head of around 2.5’’ diameter covered with pale, thin papery skin when you purchase garlic.
A clove of garlic has an irregular shape with a point on one end and a rough flat surface on the other. The sizes of cloves vary from small to extra large. The length of a small clove is about 1’’ while a bigger one is around 1.4”.
Minced Vs. Diced Clove Of Garlic
The number of teaspoons of minced and diced garlic is different. The number of teaspoons of minced garlic is lower since the garlic is in smaller pieces than the diced garlic. The size of minced garlic is 1/16’’ as compared to 1/8’’ of diced garlic.
The effect of smaller sizes comes in the flavor of the food. When the pieces are small, a larger surface gets exposed. Therefore, more oils get released hence making the garlic flavor in your dish more intense.
The downside of using larger pieces of garlic is that it takes more time to cook. Therefore, most people will end up without thoroughly cooked garlic. As a result, they will have a raw pungent taste instead of a sweeter and milder one.
How To Dice Garlic Cloves
The first thing to do is removing the skin. Once you have removed it, you will cut the cloves into lengths of four to five. You will also do cut the exact measurements widthwise. You will then continue that way until you finish cutting to your desired size.
How To Mince Garlic Cloves
Once you remove the skin, cut thin slices of the cloves lengthwise and widthwise. You will continue with the same pattern until you achieve your desired sizes. If you want to make even more refined pieces, you can add a pinch of salt and then crush it with the side of the knife.
How To Store Your Clove Of Garlic
Here are some of the tips to keep your garlic fresh for a long time.
Keep It In A Cool, Dry Place
You should avoid putting your garlic in hot and wet places at all costs. One best place to store your garlic is in the refrigerator. You will first put them in a zip plastic bag before taking them into the fridge. By doing so, it will prevent any unwanted smell.
Prevent Your Garlic From Direct Sunlight
One of the biggest enemies of garlic is sunlight. Sunlight accelerates the time it takes for garlic to spoil. Moreover, it makes it produce an awful smell. Therefore you should ensure that you put your garlic inside a wire basket and hang it where it is out of direct sunlight. People in the past used this method to store their garlic when there were no fridges.
Place It Where There Is Good Air Circulation
You should ensure that your garlic cloves are in their unpeeled form. You will then place it in a dry basket that has proper air circulation. Putting your garlic where there is sufficient air circulation will keep away moisture, making your garlic stay for long.
How To Incorporate Garlic Into Your Diet
There are different ways you can ensure that you have garlic in your diet every day. Some of the ways you can incorporate garlic into your diet include.
Eating Raw Garlic
Did you know you can eat raw garlic without cooking it? You should ensure you have garlic in your everyday diet, even if it means eating it raw. Eating raw garlic will have additional benefits t cooked garlic, such as relaxing smooth muscles in your blood vessels. You can enjoy raw garlic by slicing it onto your salad or adding it to your pasta or bread.
Cooking With Garlic
Raw garlic brings more health benefits, but you can also boost your health by cooking with garlic. If you cannot eat raw garlic, then add it to your food recipes. You can use about one or two cloves of garlic in your dish. Moreover, ensure you first crush, dice, or mince it before cooking to release health-boosting compounds.
Using Garlic Oil
You can add garlic into your diet by using garlic oil for cooking your food. You can also use garlic oil to get rid of your pimples if you rub it on your face. You can buy the garlic oil from the health store or infuse your garlic oil.
Health Benefits Of Eating A Clove Of Garlic
The following are some of the benefits you will get from consuming garlic.
Provides High Nutritional Value And Low Calories
Garlic contains essential nutrients the body needs like vitamin C, calcium, copper, iron, and many more. Moreover, it also contains low calories hence reducing cholesterol in your body. As a result, you will prevent things like heart attacks.
It Is Rich In Antioxidants
The antioxidants in garlic reduce oxidative damage in body tissues hence slowing aging. Moreover, the antioxidants also protect the heart and the brain. Consuming garlic will prevent you from having brain diseases like dementia.
Improves Physical Performance
Consuming garlic will reduce fatigue in your body hence improving your physical activity. Most outstanding athletes consume garlic to have top-notch physical performance.
Is It Safe To Eat A Raw Clove Of Garlic?
Yes, it is okay to eat a raw clove of garlic. However, if you are allergic to it, then you should avoid eating garlic. Eating a clove of garlic every day will bring you many health benefits. You should avoid taking too much garlic at once as it will cause heartburn, gases, and loose motions.
What Is The Weight Of One Clove Of Garlic?
The weight of your clove of garlic varies depending on the type of garlic you buy. Some garlic has bigger cloves than others. However, the average weight of one clove is around ten to sixteen grams. If you convert I clove to garlic powder, it will give you a one-eight teaspoons of garlic powder. Moreover, you can substitute one clove of garlic with a half teaspoon of garlic salt.
Conclusion
It is essential to have garlic as part of your diet. You can either eat it raw, cook it or use its oil. Garlic has many health benefits like improving physical performance, reducing heart attacks, and preventing brain diseases. Understanding garlic conversion is essential when you want to use garlic in your cooking. You should know that one clove of garlic substitutes one and a half teaspoons of garlic.
