Garlic Fingers; Garlic Chips

Garlic Fingers
Garlic fingers happen.  When you work with garlic as much as i do (or anyone should do), you end up with garlic fingers that will smell delicious yet pungent, and will possibly blind you if you rub your eyes 5 minutes later. 

Problem is, no amount of good washing can totally get rid of that smell. 

Mmm.  I mean, i don't mind it myself, but sometimes you just don't wanna go hang out with people or go to class or pet your poor dog with garlic fingers.

The solution?  This is gonna be real complex, so please pay close attention.  Stop everything you're doing and focus, cuz i will only say this once:

Rub your fingers on stainless steel.

That's it!  haha i tricked you and made you get all focused.  Truth is, rubbing your intense garlic fingers on stainless steel makes that smell go away! 

Luckily, many things in our kitchen, including knives and sinks, are made with stainless steel.  So take a knife (though probably not the one you used for cutting garlic) and rub your fingers vigorously along the flat edge. 

Soon, that smell will be gone!

Aren't you glad you stopped by here today?

I don't know why it works.  My mom told me this a long time ago, and i am a good girl who always listens to her mommy, especially when it suits me best.  I think it must have something to do with ions and things, but i will leave that for someone else to figure out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Garlic Chips
Double feature today!  Now you will learn how to make garlic chips!

Garlic chips are little slices of garlic that have been lightly crisped in oil, and they make fabulous toppings for salads, soups, casseroles, or even on sandwiches. 

First, you slice garlic real thin, as thin as you can get it.

Then you bring a small saucepan of olive oil to smoke point.

That just means, your oil will start to smoke.  I do not have a picture of that because i was kinda panicked.  But all was good.

Then you remove the oil from heat...just place it on the burner next to it that's not on.  Then do a test chip.  Pick up a garlic chip with chopsticks and dunk it into the oil until it's brown.

If you're not skilled at chopsticking, just throw the chip in there and fish it out with a fork.  DO NOT PANIC. 

Lay chip to cool and de-oil itself on a paper towel. 

As the oil gets cooler, you can just drop them in and get them all cooked at once.

Yeah baby!

Another great thing is, you now have a little bit of garlic-infused olive oil in a pan that can be used for sauteing various things.  Or dipping bread.

Garlic chips: the fun new way to dress your soups and salads!  Come back tomorrow to find out what i did with these :)  It involves shrimp.  Yum.