Garlic: Fresh, powder, granulated, or what?

[Fio]

When I lived/worked in NY many years ago, I  remember the pizzas having a very distinct garlic presence. What is considered the optimum form of garlic for NY pies?   I think there is a difference between garlic "powder" (like McCormick's for example) and granulated garlic that you find in pizza joints.

Is there a good source for garlic powder?  My current sauce regime is as follows:  Crushed tomatoes, with a sprinkling of Penzey's Greek seasoning ( a WONDERFUL mix of garlic, oregano, etc.).  Failing that, I would use the tomatoes and a sprinking of garlic powder and oregano.  But I think I would get a better result if I use the optimum form of garlic.

IMHO, pizza sauce is tomatoes, garlic and oregano.  Basil is a topping and should be used fresh in Neopolitan pizzas.

I'm curious to see what is the skinny on garlic in NY style pizza.

Thanks as always,

 - Fio

[Lydia]

 Fresh garlic and dried garlic types are going to produced different flavors. I have found fresh garlic in frozen (Trader Joe's) or jar versions (general grocery; produce isle) to be a quick and easy way to get fresh fresh garlic flavor in recipes.

I have seen garlic powder in 2 forms. One is a fine white powder and is very potent and typically includes some form of MSG; then another powdered garlic that looks like tiny yellow granules (cornmeal like) which it still strong but not as much as the fine powder. This last one is more like the granulated garlic used by pizza parlors.

I'm not the NY style expert so hopefullly someone else will comment on this.

[Hi Gluten]

Hi Fio,

Being born and raised in Brooklyn (NY), I've had a few pies in my time. Many places put out a shaker with garlic salt. The salt component heightens the garlic flavor. That may what you're experiencing. I've experimented with MSG and have found in most pizza applications there is threshold that when crossed has a strong negative effect on taste. Generally, I avoid it all together.

I personally cannot live in a world without garlic! It can have many different flavors depending on it's preparation. It can range from buttery tasting to astringent. It's up to you to determine what color of this rainbow that tickles your fancy.

One simple technique I like to use with an uncooked sauce is to smash and puree raw garlic. I use a fork and some coarse Kosher salt to pulverize it into a paste. Then add it to your sauce and refrigerate for a day. This gives it some time to imbue its flavor. Give it a try and see if "Floats your boat".

[enob]

one thing i recall seeing up in the Bronx is something called SUPER garlic that appeared to be a higer level of Garlic salt.
I loved the stuff so much and could never find a place to purchase it I use to steal the containers off the tables for home use.. 

[RockyMarciano]

Dude fresh garlic has way better taste, you can use garlic powder if you want to, its still good, but there's nothing like fresh garlic.  I wouldn't bother with the spice packet, i'll tell you an easy, tasty sauce for 1 16" pie:

8 oz of Cento crushed tomatoes
a dab of fresh garlic (or sprinkle some powdered, careful not too much!)
2 tsp sugar
a splash of EVOO (filippo berio)

stir it up then spread it on the pie

then:

sprinkle a good amount of oregano, make it finer by using your fingers, then sprinkle pepper, and salt, and a bit of ramano cheese, you can then spread it around a little more, then put your mozz and toppings on.

[lilbuddypizza]

All good, but all different. My humble opinion:
Fresh- excellent, but be prepared to be alone afterwards
Granulated- great for mixing with ingredients(sauce or meat), but I find that every batch is slighlty different. It seems that sometimes it absorbs other odors. Sometimes it's a crap shoot.
Powdered- Excellent, IF you can keep it from clumping. Biting into a clump of powder is ferocious.