You’ve heard me go on about slicing garlic with a truffle slicer, and here’s why. Crushing garlic is too aggressive. It bursts the cells, releases too much juice and makes it bitter. Slice it thinly (then chop if you like) and you’ll get a much more complex, fragrant flavour. It was Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential who said never use a crusher. Now you know why, and mine is going in the bin.
Roast garlic: wrap a whole head in foil with a splash of water, a little oil and a pinch of sugar if you like, and roast at about 180°C for 20–25 minutes. It’s smoky, sweet and gorgeous mashed into ricotta for pasta.