Here's Why Your Garlic Keeps Burning In The Pan (And How To Stop It)

Whether a recipe calls for a little garlic or a lot, this ingredient can ruin your dish if you overcook it. Garlic that's even a bit burnt becomes bitter, and you'd be amazed how fast it can turn into little lumps of charcoal. Why does garlic burn much more rapidly than onions, another allium with which it's often paired? One reason is that garlic contains more sugar, and sugar itself browns quite quickly and can burn the second you take your eyes off the pan. It also has less moisture, and dryer elements cook quicker than wetter ones in the same way that dry twigs will catch fire before damp kindling does. The final reason is pretty obvious: Garlic cloves are smaller than onions, and the smaller the pieces, the quicker they'll cook.

The main way to keep your garlic from burning is, duh, don't cook it too long. Yes, you should still sauté sliced garlic before adding it to a sauce, soup, stew, or what have you because cooking helps bring out its flavor. However, it'll be done in just 30 seconds at medium heat, while at high heat some bits can start burning in as little as 15 seconds. One way to tell if a recipe is bad before you start cooking is if it tells you to sauté the garlic in a hot pan for a minute or more.

If you're sautéing garlic on its own, one way to slow down the cooking process is to start with a cold pan and a cold cooking medium, be it oil or butter. When the garlic is in the pan, turn the heat to medium-low, then give it a full minute. If need be, you can then turn the heat to medium to finish things off. Some cooks even like to sauté the garlic in plenty of oil for 15 minutes or more at a very low heat – our toum recipe calls for this technique — but you'll need sufficient patience to keep a close eye on the process throughout. Once the garlic turns golden, it may already be overcooked, or well on the way. Sautéed garlic should still be pale in color and only a bit darker around the edges.

If you're cooking your garlic with onions, it's best to hold off on adding it until just 30 seconds before the onions are done. A common technique involves clearing a little space in the middle of the pan to allow the garlic to cook on its own for a few seconds before stirring it into the onions. If you'd prefer a subtler hint of garlic, you can cook it together with the onions from the beginning, but you'll need to keep the heat super-low. While the larger onion slices and cooking liquid provide a buffer, the garlic bits will still burn if the pan temperature gets too high.