Nigel, for flavour and nutrition, is it better to crush or chop cloves of garlic?
Many thanks. For flavour, the more you disrupt the garlic cells, the more of their flavour you release. So for a subtle flavour, slice it thinly, for more oomph, chop finely (my personal choice) and for maximum flavour, or where you need something smooth (e.g. to add to mayonnaise for aioli) crush it with salt using the side of a knife. For nutritional purposes, unless you’re using bulbs and bulbs, whatever you do with the garlic is unlikely to affect the nutrition of the dish one way or another. Q Is there a way to stop yogurt curdling and turning grainy when added to curry? Yoghurt will curdle because the milk proteins denature – yoghurt is high in protein, and when heated too much, the protein molecules tangle with each other and form lumpy curds. This doesn’t happen with cream, because there is too much fat in the way, so using a full-fat or greek yoghurt will help. You can also stabilise the yoghurt by adding something else to interfere with coagulation – starch. Mixing a little y
