I don't know many chefs who don't use fresh garlic! The flavor of pre minced garlic in oil or peeled garlic is totally different than freshly peeled garlic. It's simply not the same.
Many chefs actually grow different types of garlic, elephant garlic etc... and enjoy cooking with the garlic ends, called scapes, it's a 'chef thing'.
Chopping Garlic
There are many types of garlics and I believe there is a terroir flavor factor with garlic. I'm sure garlic tastes very different in different parts of France, Italy, Greece, Spain... there are thin skinned, hard skinned, small & large types of garlic. Each has a slightly different flavor and texture. I like to plant hardneck variety of spring garlic in my garden; we put them into the ground in late November and look forward to picking the scapes and flowers for Spring dishes.
Minced Garlic
Prep Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Yield:
Ingredients
3 cloves Garlic
How to Prepare Minced Garlic
Step 1
Break the garlic in to cloves, using a paring knife or your fingers. If the garlic is very tightly clumped, lightly smash with a mallet or the side of a heavy knife to loosen the cloves.
Separate the cloves and smash gently to loosen the garlic skins. Take all of the garlic peels and discard. Be diligent, the peels are sticky and very light-challenging to get them all!
Step 2
Smash the peeled garlic with the side of the clean knife to flatten, chop all of the garlic in one direction and then chop a second time in the opposite direction, mincing the garlic to very small pieces.
Do not over chop and turn the garlic to 'mush'... the oils will come out and change the flavor.
The objection is that all of the garlic is the same size so cooks evenly.
For some dishes, it's fine to keep the garlic cloves whole or slice thinly, it really depends on the dish.
