Jarred Minced Garlic versus Minced Fresh Garlic
How does jarred minced garlic compare with minced fresh garlic?
We pitted jarred minced garlic against fresh garlic in our Classic Caesar Salad, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Quick Tomato Sauce recipes. We used a company standard, substituting 1 teaspoon of the minced garlic for each fresh clove.
In every application, the jarred garlic provided minimal garlic flavor. Even in the mashed potatoes, which include 12 cloves (or 4 tablespoons) of garlic, tasters could barely taste garlic in the sample made with the jarred stuff. A few tasters did pick up on a sourness in the batches using the jarred garlic, most likely from added phosphoric acid. The jarred product had weaker flavor because the flavor compounds in garlic are released when the garlic is chopped, and the compounds lose potency over time.
THE BOTTOM LINE: We don't recommend using jarred minced garlic, as its flavor isn't nearly as potent and clean as that of fresh cloves. Here's how we prep fresh garlic.