FOOD NEWS
11 Tips For Making The Best Garlic Butter
BY MICHELLE BOTTALICO
The Right Butter
You don’t need to splurge, but since butter is the star of the show and plays a huge role in the taste, so it’s important to go for higher quality.
Choose a butter that fits your tastes and budget. Unsalted butter is a great choice and gives you a blank canvas, but you'll need to add salt to round out the flavor.
Fresh Garlic
Fresh garlic is essential for this irresistible spread. Fresh garlic will be firm and shouldn’t have much of its notoriously pungent smell until after you peel it.
If you can’t access fresh, garlic powder can be used as an alternative. For every garlic clove your recipe calls for, substitute a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder.
Roast The Garlic
Roasting garlic takes away its strong punch of flavor, transforming it into a milder version of itself that can be perfect for a mellow garlic butter.
A common method of doing this is to wrap the garlic heads in foil (slice the pointy tops off first) and roast them directly on the oven rack for at least 30 minutes.
Prep Ingredients
You’ll need to prepare your ingredients well. You’ll want to use softened butter, which can be achieved by leaving it at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
You’ll want to mince your garlic into small and even pieces, which will distribute the garlic flavor throughout the butter, making the flavor much smoother.
When using fresh seasonings or herbs, dry them well before adding them to the butter. The same goes for ingredients packed in liquids, like capers.
Seasonings
Since garlic and butter are standard savory ingredients, they can be enhanced with different seasonings and flavor combinations.
Ensure the additions are prepared properly: zest lemons, grate cheese, and mince or finely chop herbs into small, even pieces.