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RE: Herbal Remedies for Earaches & Ear Infections
You don't mention this in your post, so you can let me know if you're familiar with this:
That pungent smell when you cut garlic is a powerful cancer-fighting compound that's forming. That compound is called allicin. The problem is, heat destroys allicin, so cooking the garlic is destroying much of its nutritional benefits.
There is a way around this, however. After cutting the garlic, let it sit for 5-10 minutes before applying heat to it. Waiting these few minutes allows allicin to form a strong bond that is much more heat-resistant. This way, you can still cook your garlic while getting all its wonderful benefits.
I hear ya, @shenanigator. We're not going for cancer fighting properties with this particular remedy; however, since allicin (one among many medicinal components of garlic) does have a lot antimicrobial properties as well, letting the chopped garlic sit for 10 minutes before putting it in the oven would certainly maximize the amount of allicin that is chemically produced. So I think you're quite right to advise it as a standing pre-treatment for using fresh garlic: cut and let sit for a bit. The allicin itself won't stay around for long. Once formed, it very quickly breaks down into other organosulfur compounds. A good rule of thumb for those who like to cook with garlic is that if it still smells like garlic, there's still some healthy goodness in there. Thanks for commenting! Good advice!