VAMPIRES look away now. To get the best health benefits from garlic, crush it and let it stand for 10 minutes, then eat it raw or cook it for less than 6 minutes.
The crushing breaks open cell membranes to release alliinase, an enzyme vital for creating anti-clotting compounds, the most active being allicin and thiosulphinate. In uncrushed garlic the alliinase remains locked away.
Further experiments led by Claudio Galmarini of INTA-EEA, a food consultancy in Mendoza, Argentina, showed that leaving the garlic to stand allows time for the alliinase to get to work creating the blood-thinning compounds, while overcooking…
