What does the garlic in cold oil vs hot oil experiment test?

It tests one variable: starting temperature of the oil. The idea is that garlic started in cold oil turns sweet and golden. Garlic dropped into hot oil browns fast and tastes bitter.

10-minute experiment

Garlic in cold oil vs hot oil

A 60-second experiment with a bitter ending.

The idea

Garlic started in cold oil turns sweet and golden. Garlic dropped into hot oil browns fast and tastes bitter.

The one thing you change: Starting temperature of the oil

You need

4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 small pans
Olive oil

Steps

Put half the garlic in a pan with 2 tbsp cold oil. Turn the heat to medium-low.
Heat the other pan with 2 tbsp oil until it shimmers, then add the rest of the garlic carefully, because hot oil spits.
Cook both until the first batch is pale gold. Stay at the stove and watch the second one closely, because garlic goes from gold to burnt in seconds.
Taste a slice from each, once they've cooled for a minute.

What you should find

The cold-start garlic is mellow and sweet. The hot-start garlic is darker at the edges and has a bitter bite.

From the app

Cook this with Chef Fizz

Step-by-step mode with timers, in the free app.

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The science behind it

Start garlic in cold oil

In hot oil, garlic goes from pale gold to bitter brown in seconds. Start it in cold oil and it warms slowly, so you can pull it at pale gold about 2 to 4…

Read the explainer

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