Selecting

• When buying garlic, choose firm, heavy heads with no signs of mold or soft spots. Avoid those that are dried out or have green shoots emerging -- sure signs that the garlic is old and might taste bitter. Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. Rather, the freshest garlic heads are those that are heavy for their size. Diced, bottled garlic is a handy substitute, but it tends to spoil quickly and can take on unpleasant flavors. Stick with fresh or buy only small amounts of bottled garlic and use them quickly.

Storage

• Once you bring garlic home, store it in a cool, dark, dry location. A dry basement or pantry is ideal. Store garlic in a wicker basket or open, ventilated ceramic dish. Avoid storing it in plastic bags or covered containers, which can cause it to mold or become bitter. If you have a lot of garlic, you can braid the ends together and hang it in a dry location. Snip off one garlic head at a time to use. Don't store garlic in the refrigerator unless you have a low-humidity drawer.

Preparing

• As you use garlic, break off only the cloves you need and leave the remaining cloves intact. Cut off any green sprouts that emerge. These bitter sprouts signal growth within the clove, which is a sign of aging. Once you see green sprouts, you should use the garlic up quickly before it becomes bitter.

Cooking

• Another reason garlic turns bitter is because it gets burned during the cooking process. If you're adding garlic to a sauteed dish, such as shrimp scampi, wait to add it during the last one or two minutes of cooking. Keep the heat at medium and stir the garlic frequently. It should be golden brown, but no darker. If you happen to burn the garlic, remove it quickly from the pan and replace it with fresh garlic. That burned, bitter taste can permeate the whole dish.