clove of garlic

Meaning

A 'clove' is one of the small, individual segments that make up a whole bulb (or head) of garlic. When a recipe asks for a 'clove of garlic,' it means you should peel and use just one of these small segments, not the entire bulb.

Examples

• The recipe calls for one minced clove of garlic, but I always add two.

  The recipe calls for one minced clove of garlic, but I always add two.

• Peel a clove of garlic and rub it on the toasted bread for garlic bread.

  Peel a clove of garlic and rub it on the toasted bread for garlic bread.

• To make the pasta sauce, gently saute one crushed clove of garlic in olive oil.

  To make the pasta sauce, gently saute one crushed clove of garlic in olive oil.

• He accidentally used a whole bulb instead of a single clove of garlic.

  He accidentally used a whole bulb instead of a single clove of garlic.

• You can finely grate a clove of garlic directly into the salad dressing.

  You can finely grate a clove of garlic directly into the salad dressing.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I put a whole head of garlic into the sauce when it only asked for one piece.

  ✓ I put a whole head of garlic into the sauce when it only asked for one clove.

  While 'piece' is understandable, 'clove' is the precise culinary term for a single segment of garlic.

• ✗ The recipe requires one garlic clove of garlic.

  ✓ The recipe requires one clove of garlic.

  Saying 'garlic clove of garlic' is redundant. Use either 'one garlic clove' or 'one clove of garlic'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• To make the marinade, smash one ___ with the flat side of your knife.

  💡 A single segment of a garlic bulb.

  Show answer

  clove of garlic

• If you only want a subtle flavor, use half a ___ instead of a whole one.

  💡 One small section of garlic.

  Show answer

  clove of garlic