What's the deal with not peeling garlic?

It appears to be trendy to chuck cloves of garlic into roasts, stews, etc. without peeling it. What's the deal? Anyone try this? I used to see Jamie Oliver do this all the time and thought it was sort of strange, but now everyone seems to do it.

Don't you have to pick the peel out when you eat? Do the peels somehow disolve? Is the idea that the garlic is there only to flavour the dish and not to be served? I don't think I like the idea. I think I'd rather take the extra 10 seconds to give it a light crush and toss the skin in the bin....

I've noticed that too. Nigella does it as well. I'd rather peel it.

I hadn't noticed the trend. Seems wrong to me. As the garlic cooks, wouldn't the skins just come off and float around unappetisingly in the dish?!

On the garlic subject, am I the only one who splits the garlic in two and picks out the green root in the middle?  DH thinks I am crazy to do this but I think I saw a chef on TV do it once - supposedly it's bitter or something.  And I do this with onions too - take out the huge sprout in the middle...

It appears to be trendy to chuck cloves of garlic into roasts, stews, etc. without peeling it. What's the deal? Anyone try this? I used to see Jamie Oliver do this all the time and thought it was sort of strange, but now everyone seems to do it.

Don't you have to pick the peel out when you eat? Do the peels somehow disolve? Is the idea that the garlic is there only to flavour the dish and not to be served? I don't think I like the idea. I think I'd rather take the extra 10 seconds to give it a light crush and toss the skin in the bin....

when you roast garlic inside their skins, the garlic flesh turns buttery and smooth, and you just squeeze it out of the skins...  it's gorgeous!!  Take a forkful of roast chicken, squeeze a bit of garlic out of the skin onto the chicken... eat and savour!! 

On the garlic subject, am I the only one who splits the garlic in two and picks out the green root in the middle?  DH thinks I am crazy to do this but I think I saw a chef on TV do it once - supposedly it's bitter or something.  And I do this with onions too - take out the huge sprout in the middle...

I do that too!

when you roast garlic inside their skins, the garlic flesh turns buttery and smooth, and you just squeeze it out of the skins...  it's gorgeous!!  Take a forkful of roast chicken, squeeze a bit of garlic out of the skin onto the chicken... eat and savour!! 

I've done that before - stuck a whole head in the oven with some olive oil and served it on bread or with cheese. And I agree that is fab. But I still am not sure about, say, chucking an unpeeled head into a pot of stew.

As the garlic cooks, wouldn't the skins just come off and float around unappetisingly in the dish?!

That is one worry. The other is that I'd ladle up a serving and pop take a mouthful and end up with an unpeeled (albeit at least cooked) hunk of garlic in my mouth. 

I don't take the green bit out of garlic, but I do out of onions.

I'm a peeler, too.  I also  just leave the green bits inside.. both onions and garlic.. Do any of you peel your garlic ahead of time? 

Do any of you peel your garlic ahead of time? 

I don't because I feel like it dries out a little. I might just be imagining that though.

I don't because I feel like it dries out a little. I might just be imagining that though.

i agree...  i feel like it would lose some of its flavour and the oiliness would dry up a bit.

Sometimes I peel...sometimes I don't.  The garlic skins usually come off easily though (after it's been cooked), it's not hard to spot them & pick them off or out (or squeeze the cooked garlic out)...whether you think that's unappetising (the skins floating around) or not -- personal thing.  Neither of us is very fussy, though for some reason -- I hate to shell prawns as I eat them, but that's another matter.  Also, when I'm using whole garlic cloves, I still tend to give them a good whack with the flat side of a big knife so they're split open a bit.  Lately, I've also been experimenting with whether to crush garlic (we have a press) or just slicing it very thinly (for recipes that call for chopped garlic) -- seeing if there's any slight variance in flavor or if it cooks differently.  Others' thoughts?

Lately, I've also been experimenting with whether to crush garlic (we have a press) or just slicing it very thinly (for recipes that call for chopped garlic) -- seeing if there's any slight variance in flavor or if it cooks differently.  Others' thoughts?

I have never understood the garlic press.  I have used mine a bunch but it never seems as good as just dicing the garlic or slicing it thinly.  I always get tons of leftover garlic stuck in the press, or the skin just prevents the garlic from ending up in the dish....I don't know, it seems like such a good idea but I always feel like I'm wasting lots of garlic that way!

I think pressing it makes it stronger because it releases the juices into the food. But if you're cooking something for a long time - like a tomato sauce or something - it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. With stir fries I tend to mince it because you get good flavour without it being overpowering.

I hate to shell prawns too - I guess maybe that's the root of the garlic problem - I like food served ready to eat without a lot of fussing around needed at the table.... Mussels are pretty much the only things I'm willing to fuss with!

I read somewhere recently that some 'experts' (not sure which ones probably the top garlic scientists) advise against using a garlic press because it adds bitterness.  We use the press quite a bit, but I do peel the garlic first before pressing and I scrape that thing as clean as I can!

Usually I make sure the prawns are peeled beforehand...but if you're doing something with grilled/skewered shrimp -- it seems to dry them out more if you don't leave the peels on.  I have an awesome grilled Goan-style garam masala-flavored prawn recipe (from Nigel Slater) but it's so messy to eat!

I used to use a press but I hated cleaning it.  Now, I just crush it and chop it.  And i peel it.