Little Step No. 4
What to do:
Chop or crush garlic, then leave to stand for 10 minutes before heating.
Why this step works:
In the busy run up to Christmas and at the end of a tiring year I'm sure the very last thing you could do with is another job to add to your to-do list! So this step is deliberately tiny but still mightily powerful. If you already use garlic in your cooking, it doesn’t require you to do anything other than to chop or crush it first, so it can stand for 10 mins before heating.
Why would you do this? Plant foods not only contain essential nutrients such as vitamins & minerals, but a vast array of incredible ‘bioactive plant compounds’ too (there's at least 25,000 that we know of). Plants can’t run away from potential invaders, find shade from harmful UV rays or add an extra layer when it gets too cold. In order to survive and especially to thrive, they have to develop ways of dealing with the many different threats and stressors they face daily. And this is exactly what bioactive compounds are for. They are remarkable substances that help the plant to survive amid ever-changing conditions, and perhaps what's even more remarkable is that when we eat plants, we get to benefit from them too!
The great news is that garlic contains many different bioactive compounds, and so delivers many potential benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating and anti-microbial effects. One of the best-known of these compounds is allicin. However, it’s only when you chop or crush garlic, that an enzyme called allinase starts to be released which then promotes the formation of allicin. The crucial thing to know is that heat inactivates this enzyme, which is exactly why it’s best to leave raw, chopped garlic to stand for 10 minutes before you add it to the pan, allowing plenty of time for the enzyme to work its magic.
This little step doesn't require much extra time, just a bit of extra thought. In fact it's one of my favourites, because every time I chop my garlic first I am reminded of the immense value of changing small things that you do regularly. Super simple yet super powerful; just what we all need right now.
WB Yeats