The Clever Bobby Flay Garlic Trick We Wish We'd Known About Sooner

Garlic is a go-to ingredient in the kitchen. It's the star of garlic bread and garlic shrimp , of course, but it also plays an essential role in other recipes where it's not the star. Soups , sauces , salad dressings and so much more are made more delicious thanks to these little stinky cloves.

For some dishes, sliced, crushed or minced garlic is the way to go. But if you want the veggie to melt into your dish without a trace you need garlic paste. The smooth mixture will infuse your food with flavor but you won't see any little bits and bobs of garlic.

And while you can buy garlic paste in a tube, it's tastier to make it yourself. Luckily, the process is easy. We were reminded how easy it is when we say chef Bobby Flay demonstrating the method on @foodnetwork 's TikTok feed. He made the garlic paste while he was cooking for I na Garten on her Be My Guest show and even Queen Ina found it "interesting." Here's what you need to know.

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How to Make Garlic Paste, According to Bobby Flay

Flay uses a classic method for making garlic paste. First, he coarsely chops the garlic and then crushes it with the side of his knife. After that, he sprinkles kosher salt on top and then he chops it a bit more. Next, using the flat side of the knife, he smooshes the garlic and salt across the cutting board. The salt is mildly abrasive, which helps break down the garlic into a smooth paste.

As Flay makes the garlic paste, he says that he wants the garlic to "melt away in the pan" rather than having chunks of garlic to bite into."This is interesting," Garten says to Flay. Although making garlic paste takes a bit more time and effort than simply chopping it, it does cook faster.

Per usual, commenters didn't hesitate to weigh in. "Ina seems slightly skeptical," someone commented on the video. She does seem a bit hesitant about his method but also intrigued. We're pretty sure Ina also makes garlic paste, so her reaction made us chuckle.

Another commenter said that you could just put the garlic in a food processor to make the paste, which could work if you're making a big batch. For just a few cloves, you're better off sticking to the knife, salt and cutting board method.

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