The “Roasty, Toasty, Smashable” Garlic Confit the Internet Can’t Stop Talking About

Astute students of the food trend world might remember last spring, as everyone shut themselves in their homes, that all the internet could talk about was Dalgona coffee. TikTok, in particular, obsessed over the whipped coffee treat, helping people celebrate the warming weather without leaving their homes. But now it’s fall, getting to winter, and we’re still inside and still looking for mind-blowingly delicious, fun things to do with our food that don’t require enormous amounts of effort. And so, again, we turn to TikTok, where the latest craze is garlic confit — a technique that turns garlic cloves into soft, spreadable gold.

TikTok poster Omnivorous Adam claims that if you like garlic, this will change your life. His instructions keep it simple: fill a saucepan up with peeled garlic, cover it with oil, then pop it in a 200°F oven for three hours. “I know it sounds like a long time,” he acknowledges. “But you literally don’t have to do anything besides stick it in an oven.” The results are worth the wait. “It’s going to reward you with roasty, toasty, smashable, spreadable garlic cloves that do not leave you with garlic breath,” he raves in his video.

Chef and cookbook author Cara Mangini told The Kitchn about the treat a few years ago, calling it her secret ingredient and special sauce. She also gives a slightly different recipe for folks who prefer a quicker cook and don’t mind using the stovetop — just barely simmering them in oil over the lowest heat for 45 minutes. She also offers a great list of ways to use it up — from whipping into mashed potatoes to layering onto pizza.

“Keep it in the fridge for at least a few months,” Omnivorous Adam mentions. “If you don’t eat it first.” But also, only if you are very careful and keep it in the fridge, as it has a high botulism risk — see warning below from Cara.

A Warning About Botulism: Garlic is an extremely low-acid vegetable. When it is stored improperly in oil (without oxygen) and in warm temperatures (at room temperature), it can produce a very serious toxin that causes the illness botulism. Botulism can be fatal if not treated immediately. It is very important to refrigerate garlic confit, as per the Center for Disease Control. Use a clean jar with a tight seal to store garlic confit; cool the garlic and oil as quickly as possible, and refrigerate it immediately. If you store the preserved garlic properly, it should keep for several months, however, to be completely safe, I recommend only storing it for up to three weeks. If you’re worried, you can also safely freeze garlic confit for several months.