How many cloves are typically in one head of garlic?

[lildreamer316]

I think I want to be very, very brave and attempt to make this recipe:

40 Cloves and a Chicken Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: In The Bulb of the Night (Garlic)

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil, thyme, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

--bur I need to know approx. how many heads of garlic to purchase. Any ideas?

I think I may have a garlic addiction.

[PeaceNikki]

1. A head or bulb of garlic usually contains about 10 cloves

Sounds yummy.

I, too, have a garlic fetish.

Enjoy!!

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. Buy about 10 heads

That should give you plenty. You'll be surprised at how much of the pungent garlic flavor gets cooked away. Have you ever had roasted garlic before?

Oh, and let me know what time the wife and I should be over for dinner. :9

Garlic addiction is a GOOD thing. :D

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. mark bittman has a great recipe for this chicken and i use 2 heads of garlic

but mine is more of a stew than a baked chiken recipe

[bicentennial_baby]

4. I'd say about 10-12...varying in size

I want to make that too, I just haven't gotten around to it! :D

[hippywife]

5. That isn't a bad recipe but

it's been around waaaaay longer than Alton Brown. I think each head has about 8-10 cloves. Enjoy your meal! :hi:

[mopinko]

7. i think there are no new recipes.

that's why you can't copyright them.

[hippywife]

8. True, mo

but that one's been around the block several times and it looks like he didn't even give it a tweaking.

How's your ham? ;)

[mopinko]

9. i think next time we'll get them

cut into steaks instead. just have a big ass breakfast and take a long walk. they are great pigs, tho. nice and lean, and not from a giant factory.
and yeah, i think i first saw this in a james beard cookbook over 25 years ago. i think he admitted it was older than he was.

[mopinko]

6. i love that recipe.

make sure you have some nice crusty bread to spread the garlic on.
i would say 2 heads.

[Sanity Claws]

10. My guess is three at the most

I just looked at a whole head and counted 10 cloves on the outside. Inside there must be at least 5, if not ten more cloves. So my best guess is that each head has 15 to 20 cloves, meaning you probably only need two but get three just in case.

[DarkTirade]

11. Enough to ward off your average vampire.

But if you're dealing with more than one you might need a backup clove or two.

[Gormy Cuss]

12. Don't worry about it.

Garlic mellows out when roasted in whole cloves.

on edit: # cloves depends on the type of garlic, but I've always assumed that this recipe is for the more cloves to the bulb varieties, those of the smaller bulb size.

-Gormy, home garlic grower and consumer of massive quantities of the stinking rose.

[LostinVA]

13. I think there's probably about 10 cloves

We cook with garlic all the time, but I never counted.