Garlic – get a press.

Garlic is good for you right? It’s even better if you crush it and let it sit for 10 minutes. Like a cold pack with two compartments that have to be crushed and mixed to get an endothermic (cold) reaction, garlic has compartments with 1) Alliin (precursor) and 2) Alliinase (enzyme). They have to be mashed together for a while (10 min at room temperature is long enough) for the Aliinase enzyme to change the Aliien to Allicin – the much touted sulphur-containing organomolecule with all the health-protective properties. Cooking heat destroys the enzyme Alliinase, thus ending the reaction. To maximize it’s full potential, crush the garlic first and let it sit a bit while you finish chopping the veggies and other prep work. For more reading, try here and here.