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I have fresh garlic paste on hand I'd like to substitute for whole garlic in a braise (chicken adobo). The estimated braising time is 30 - 40 minutes. My concern is that due to the insane amount of surface area exposed in the garlic paste, the garlicky flavor will all but have been cooked off by the time the braise is finished. Any thoughts?

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  • What type of 'paste'? Jarred [or squeezy tube], frozen? I can't imagine anyone selling an actual literally 'fresh' garlic paste, that's asking for trouble. If frozen, which type, there's 'chunky' European style & 'almost a true paste' Indian style [in cubes]. Euro will be fine after 40 mins, Indian I always double up the quantities, which as it come in pretty big cubes, is not difficult. The stuff in a tube or jar the flavour's no longer 'garlic' even straight from the tube [though the smell can be for a couple of minutes, until you heat it a bit]. I avoid that type.
    – Tetsujin
    Sep 12, 2022 at 15:47

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You're right to be concerned. Garlic paste does generally cook off a lot faster than whole, minced, or sliced garlic, and could become bland after 40 minutes of cooking. Given the long braise, my suggestion would be to figure out a way to introduce the garlic paste later in the cooking ... say, 15 minutes before the chicken is done.

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