Speaker 1: Let's get into garlic. Shallowis let's talk garlic today. Throughout
Speaker 1: the program, I'm gonna show you a couple of tips
Speaker 1: and tricks for roasting and different things to do with garlic,
Speaker 1: but I wanted to start with just some facts about garlic.
Speaker 1: You know, what exactly is garlic? Uh? You know, you
Speaker 1: see it like cartoons or movies, people hanging you know,
Speaker 1: multiple bulbs hanging down in the kitchen. I've never done that,
Speaker 1: but I do like garlic and I have it in
Speaker 1: the house constantly all the time because it's quintessential to cooking.
Speaker 1: It's actually part of the onion family. It's also you know,
Speaker 1: related to leagues and scallions, chives, that type of thing.
Speaker 1: But unlike its cousins, garlic bulbs are made up of
Speaker 1: smaller pieces. They're called cloves, and it is this bunch
Speaker 1: of those cloves that come together to make the garlic bulb.
Speaker 1: And it just has so many different properties, including some
Speaker 1: studies that tie it to medical benefits as well. So
Speaker 1: even though they sound similar, wi old garlic and elephant
Speaker 1: and garlic aren't the same thing. Elephant garlic is actually
Speaker 1: more like a leak in disguise. It's a little different.
Speaker 1: So why does garlic smell so pungent on its own?
Speaker 1: When you get it in a ball? Not much there,
Speaker 1: you know, But the moment you peel it, you chop it,
Speaker 1: or you crush it, it releases these sulfur compounds. And
Speaker 1: that's what gives garlic that signature kick, that flavor that
Speaker 1: can't be replicated by anything else, and it's just magical. Now,
Speaker 1: I'm sure there's people that don't like garlic, but it
Speaker 1: is one of those flavors and one of those smells
Speaker 1: that if you just throw garlic in a pan of
Speaker 1: hot olive oil or something, it just immediately onions the
Speaker 1: same thing. They just make the house smell delicious and
Speaker 1: like something wonderful is about to be made. Cooking will
Speaker 1: tone those flavors down a bit. And you know, some people,
Speaker 1: it gets pretty intense in your mouth. And some people
Speaker 1: don't like the garlic breath. The way it mixes with
Speaker 1: your own breath can be nasty. Some people say you
Speaker 1: can chomp on a mint leaf or an apple slice
Speaker 1: or some lettuce after a garlic meal. We know through
Speaker 1: a lot of studies that what our friends at Zelmons
Speaker 1: have taught us, and that is clinically tested to beat
Speaker 1: the crap out of garlic breath and things like that,
Speaker 1: so onion breath because it's really attacking it with that
Speaker 1: parsley seed oil. Where did garlic come from? This is
Speaker 1: one of those things that you can trace it back,
Speaker 1: but no one's really sure where it first showed up.
Speaker 1: Experts think it probably started in Central Asia. People in
Speaker 1: India and Egypt were already farming it over five thousand
Speaker 1: years ago, so that's a long time to trace back
Speaker 1: when you consider, you know, humans in this state or
Speaker 1: go back what ten thousand years history wise, so makes
Speaker 1: garlic one of the earliest crops in human history. Eventually
Speaker 1: it made its way to China and then you get
Speaker 1: southern Europe and today all the garlic in the US
Speaker 1: comes from California, so we have a lot of garlic here.
Speaker 1: Garlic in ancient times was all over the place as well.
Speaker 1: Back in the day, garlic was a big deal. The
Speaker 1: Greeks even gave it as an offering to their gods
Speaker 1: and stuff like that. The father of medicine and the
Speaker 1: you know, the birth of the hippocritic oath and all
Speaker 1: of that used it to treat parasites, help with digestion.
Speaker 1: Romans loved garlic too. They used to it both as
Speaker 1: a seasoning and a remedy for things, so tuberculosis fevers.
Speaker 1: Some even believe rubbing a mix of garlic juice and
Speaker 1: thyme on your skin could protect you from snake bites.
Speaker 1: Don't know if that's true. I that's not what I
Speaker 1: would That's not what I bet a snake bite on. Personally.
Speaker 1: It's Garlic Day, so I'm gonna be talking a lot
Speaker 1: about garblic today because garlic is fantastic. It is just
Speaker 1: it is just one of those ingredients that is quintessential
Speaker 1: to the smells of a kitchen and one of those
Speaker 1: things that the minute I smell it, I just you know,
Speaker 1: you start to salivate and think, ooh, something good is
Speaker 1: being made, something good is being made, and it just
Speaker 1: is a magical ingredient. So we're kind of doing our
Speaker 1: nod to that today and all the goodness it brings,
Speaker 1: so fighting colds, plagues, and more. Let's look at some
Speaker 1: of the things that have been said or done throughout
Speaker 1: the centuries of people believing that it has medicinal purposes,
Speaker 1: and then we'll get into what science says about that. Currently. Okay,
Speaker 1: so fighting colds and the plagues and all that stuff.
Speaker 1: In England, people used to mix garlic with honey. Now
Speaker 1: honey has antibiotic I think that's what now disinfectant, No antibacterial,
Speaker 1: That's what I'm looking for, antibacterial properties. As a matter
Speaker 1: of fact, hot honey has been used and honey has
Speaker 1: been used for bullet woans in the trenches and has
Speaker 1: its own power to it. So mixing garlic with honey
Speaker 1: and sometimes alcohol treat colds, stomach bugs, things like that.
Speaker 1: During the plague outbreak in France in seventeen twenty, many
Speaker 1: folks believe garlic saved hundreds of lives. Even into the
Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds, people or garlic nex next lists to guard
Speaker 1: against illnesses like the flu. I don't think that does anything,
Speaker 1: but you know you're desperate, You going to try something now.
Speaker 1: The garlic necklace makes me think about vampires. And we've
Speaker 1: all heard the stories in movies and writings that con
Speaker 1: continue to push this narrative of garlic scaring away vampires.
Speaker 1: That ties back to an actual ingredient that is found
Speaker 1: a chemical reaction, a compound inside garlic that shows itself
Speaker 1: and multiplies in its robustness and potency when it's exposed
Speaker 1: to oxygen. So the minute you peel garlic and I
Speaker 1: got it, smash it, any of those things, then you
Speaker 1: get something called alison. I suppose it could be pronounced
Speaker 1: Allison as well, but alas in a L L I
Speaker 1: C I N is always how I've pronounced it. Compound
Speaker 1: gives garlic its intense smell in medieval Slavic countries, and
Speaker 1: that's where a lot of the vampire tales began. That's
Speaker 1: their origin. Garlic was thought off to ward thought to
Speaker 1: ward off evil spirits. Since people all used it to
Speaker 1: fight diseases and you know all that that, it kind
Speaker 1: of makes sense. It became this vampire repellent, which stinks
Speaker 1: because you know, as a vampire you live all that time.
Speaker 1: You think you want to jump into some Italian food. Yeah, right,
Speaker 1: as a vampire, doesn't that bug you? It really does,
Speaker 1: And I'm glad that you're bringing awareness to it. Finally, Well,
Speaker 1: you know what, the vampophobics that are out there don't
Speaker 1: like me to talk about these things. I know, but
Speaker 1: I am all for the blood and biting and fang banging.
Speaker 1: But it's because of all of that that I can
Speaker 1: only come out at nighttime. You know. Yeah, it's just
Speaker 1: that right. I know. That's why you are sitting in
Speaker 1: the dark in our news room every weekend. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: So how to store garlic like a pro? This is
Speaker 1: key for cooking. You can buy garlic. You look for
Speaker 1: the bulbs that are plump, tightly wrapped in their skin.
Speaker 1: I want some resistance there. Skip any that are sprouting.
Speaker 1: You don't want them sprouting or have mold. Obviously they're
Speaker 1: past the prime. You don't want that. Store your garlic
Speaker 1: in a cool, dark place, just like Andrew Caravella, and
Speaker 1: with some airflow like a pantry, and it'll last months,
Speaker 1: you know, best flavor and health benefits. Try and use
Speaker 1: it within a week, but a last month in there.
Speaker 1: So what makes garlic good for you? So that's smelly
Speaker 1: oil we were talking about alison or alison is actually
Speaker 1: packed with antibacterial power. Garlic also has other you know,
Speaker 1: like forty other beneficial compounds flavonoids, selenium, gosh, just tons
Speaker 1: of it. So experts think that it's the mix of
Speaker 1: all of these that gives garlic its health boosting reputation.
Speaker 1: So how might garlic help your health. Now, keep in
Speaker 1: mind a lot of studies they continue to do studies
Speaker 1: on this and the compounds in the food. The foods
Speaker 1: are the first medicine. These are extracts from foods, extracts
Speaker 1: from play, These were the first medicines. And so learning
Speaker 1: about food as medicine, you know, as your first medicine,
Speaker 1: is something that I encourage you to find out more about. Now,
Speaker 1: there's limitations to these things. And I am a Western
Speaker 1: medicine guy, which means I do believe in the power
Speaker 1: of Western medicine and the intellect that went into it.
Speaker 1: But I think that also our medical doctors learn don't
Speaker 1: learn as much as they should about food. I mean
Speaker 1: they'll tell you to eat less or don't have this
Speaker 1: type of food, or less red meat and things like that.
Speaker 1: Those are the simple ones, but obviously there's other things
Speaker 1: to be learned and understood about them. Some doctors know
Speaker 1: it because they're interested in food, but otherwise I don't
Speaker 1: think it's part of the curriculum the way it should be.
Speaker 1: Just my two cents. So there's a lot that suggests
Speaker 1: that garlic is good for heart health, might lower cholesterol,
Speaker 1: might lower blood pressure, prevent clots, keep your arteries flexible,
Speaker 1: and there's even talk that it could help reduce your
Speaker 1: risk of stroke. Again, these are things you should talk
Speaker 1: to your doctor about. I am not a doctor, but
Speaker 1: poking around and doing research is my thing. And of
Speaker 1: course none of these things are a substitute for medication.
Speaker 1: Even you know, I was talking about zelmens. Okay, So
Speaker 1: the active ingredient in zelmens that make it different is
Speaker 1: the partially seed oil. Right. Well, I've had conversations with
Speaker 1: Anthony and Jared about this. Well, okay, so what is it,
Speaker 1: you know, for you go back centuries and you can
Speaker 1: find out that in Rome, you know, partially's always been
Speaker 1: something that you've had on food to freshen your breath,
Speaker 1: so people would chew on it. However, the concentration, the dose,
Speaker 1: for lack of a better term then that you have
Speaker 1: to have and the quality you have to have to
Speaker 1: do it in small capsules is different. So in other words,
Speaker 1: the amount that you need of a particular item for
Speaker 1: medicinal purposes is something different. So I'm not sure what
Speaker 1: all that is, but of course it's no substitute for medication,
Speaker 1: but it could be a great accoutrement if you will,
Speaker 1: So Garlic might also help regulate blood sugar levels for
Speaker 1: people with diabetes diabetes, and these are all things that
Speaker 1: are being stuttered studied by modern science. The line between
Speaker 1: fact and myth uh is major. Obviously they're making these claims.
Speaker 1: The separation has to come through studies. So it's got
Speaker 1: its legendary legendary rather reputation. But not all claims are
Speaker 1: going to hold up scientifically, and that's what you have
Speaker 1: to figure out. There's not solid proof it helps with
Speaker 1: colds or sore throats, or Alzheimer's or as an immune boost.
Speaker 1: And these are claims that are made all the time.
Speaker 1: And so some studies link garlic to lower cancer rates,
Speaker 1: which is interesting to say the least. There's still much
Speaker 1: more research that needs to be done. I wanted to
Speaker 1: get back into garlic because it's kind of all garlic.
Speaker 1: I do have some other stuff, a new Kraft mac
Speaker 1: and cheese flavor that is not garlic. Earlier, Robin who
Speaker 1: does manages our music and engineers the show she in
Speaker 1: my ear was like, is it garlic? No Raft macaroni
Speaker 1: and cheese. You know, they do have a ranch flavor.
Speaker 1: They have some limited flavors of jalapeno. This is a
Speaker 1: new one for summer and spring that is out and
Speaker 1: about I'll tell you about coming up. Also, Martha Stewart
Speaker 1: go to host gift I really really dug and why
Speaker 1: frozen food might be better than you think for you
Speaker 1: and for the planet. I'll explain all of that coming
Speaker 1: up just a bit from now. Garlic ten minute rule.
Speaker 1: That doesn't mean that you can drop garlic on the
Speaker 1: floor and wait ten minutes to pick it up and
Speaker 1: everything will be okay. That's not what it is. The
Speaker 1: ten minute garlic rule refers to letting chopped or crushed
Speaker 1: or minced garlic stand for ten minutes before cooking or
Speaker 1: consuming it. Why do they do this? What is this rule? Well,
Speaker 1: this is about maximizing the health benefits, particularly the activation
Speaker 1: of that alesin. This is this chemical reaction. The enzymes
Speaker 1: react to the oxygen oxidize in a way that is beneficial.
Speaker 1: So this weight allows that time to have up in
Speaker 1: and it converts al a lenin you know how you
Speaker 1: pronounced theeser up to you and makes it into this
Speaker 1: other chemical compound with all these health benefits that have
Speaker 1: been studied for some time. So activating that a lesin
Speaker 1: is important. So the garlic is chopped, it's crushed, the
Speaker 1: cells rupture, and like I said earlier, it is in
Speaker 1: the family of onions. And you know when you cut
Speaker 1: an onion, that's when you are rupturing the cells. And
Speaker 1: then similarly that inside those cells, that oil releases and
Speaker 1: in this case, not only does it oxidize, but the
Speaker 1: minute it mixes with your tears, with the the say
Speaker 1: lean in your eye, it's what makes that burning. So
Speaker 1: that's what causes that burning sensation in your eyes and
Speaker 1: then tearing, which I can't stand. And I love cutting onions.
Speaker 1: The actual act of cutting onions, I think is fun,
Speaker 1: but I can't stand what it does to my eyes.
Speaker 1: It drives me nuts. So it releases those enzymes in garlic,
Speaker 1: they react with the oxygen, and that reaction naturally these
Speaker 1: occurring compounds and make this kind of super compound that
Speaker 1: has medical benefits. So these health benefits, I think is
Speaker 1: probably the best way to say them, known for things
Speaker 1: like being anti inflammatory. And if you look at a
Speaker 1: lot of the things that happen, especially as you get older,
Speaker 1: a lot of the concerns you have have itis at
Speaker 1: the end of them. And itis is just part of
Speaker 1: the fancy term for swelling or inflammation. Really Now, there
Speaker 1: are people that go nuts about this, and I haven't
Speaker 1: done the deep dive that I should about looking into
Speaker 1: just straight anti inflammatory stuff. And there's very many people
Speaker 1: that look at this and say, you've got to cut
Speaker 1: down the inflammation. Makes sense to me, but there's always
Speaker 1: people that are religious about certain parts of you know,
Speaker 1: whether it can't eat meat, or you can't do this,
Speaker 1: can't anything that's all across the board makes me a
Speaker 1: little nervous. So they say it's also an anti viral antibacterial,
Speaker 1: and these things are continually being studied by science and medicine.
Speaker 1: Some say it reduces blood pressure, improves cardiovascular health, and
Speaker 1: there is some evidence of that through studies that have
Speaker 1: been made. So why wait, Well, when you cross your chopgarlic,
Speaker 1: that rest for ten minutes gives the maximum amount of
Speaker 1: this compound being formed before it's cooked or consumed. And
Speaker 1: the reason why you want it to proliferate as much
Speaker 1: as possible is that gives you one the most health
Speaker 1: benefits you can get from garlic, but two is a
Speaker 1: lease in is heat sensitive, so like other things, it
Speaker 1: degrades during cooking. So the hope air is the longer
Speaker 1: you wait, in this case ten minutes before cooking maximizes
Speaker 1: the amount of a lease in present and therefore the
Speaker 1: stuff that gets cooked out, you still have more that
Speaker 1: is preserved preserved through the cooking process because you waited
Speaker 1: long enough. So that's where the ten minute rule comes.
Speaker 1: You know, the whole ten minute rule with garlic is
Speaker 1: to be able to wait until that process takes place.
Speaker 1: That is how you know it is at it it's peak,
Speaker 1: and so anything that is lost during the cooking process,
Speaker 1: you still have a good amount for those potential health benefits.
Speaker 1: Garlic's pretty fascinating. I mean, in addition to just being delicious.
Speaker 1: It's one of those things because it seems in life
Speaker 1: all the things that are delicious aren't good for you.
Speaker 1: I mean, I know that's a broadbrush, but you know
Speaker 1: what I mean. AnyWho, it's you know, no one ever says,
Speaker 1: oh my gosh, you have to have cake all the time.
Speaker 1: It's so good for you. Celery, that's good for you.