"Shallots are for babies; Onions are for men; garlic is for heroes."

November 25, 2009 12:13 PM

I just ate a pasta dish that was saturated with garlic. Help me get rid of the taste!

I typically avoid garlic-y things because they keep me (more) awake at night for some reason. Anyway, I ate this stuff and now I'm completely distracted by the garlic-y taste in my mouth and am foreseeing a sleepless night. How can I get rid of the taste?

posted by Sassyfras to food & drink (12 answers total)

I use lemon juice and salt to get it off a wooden cutting board. Maybe a quick rinse?
posted by jon_kill at 12:16 PM on November 25, 2009

google is your friend: yahoo says lemonade.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:17 PM on November 25, 2009

Brush, floss, and mouthwash will help greatly with the "oral bacteria going nuts for garlic" part. But the rest is in your blood and eventually your pores. As far as I know you just have to wait for the stuff to metabolize / be excreted before the taste is completely gone.
posted by zippy at 12:18 PM on November 25, 2009

Milk, ice cream, and other things that coat your mouth can help. I haven't tried lemonade.
posted by echo target at 12:26 PM on November 25, 2009

Try chewing fresh parsley. Or see if you can find some Breath Assure capsules (which contain parsley oil)... this always seems to help me when I've overindulged in garlic or onions.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:28 PM on November 25, 2009

Blueberries! Parsley may work, too.
posted by amarynth at 12:28 PM on November 25, 2009

Washing with stainless steel will take away garlic odor. It may help get the taste out of your mouth.
posted by ecurtz at 12:29 PM on November 25, 2009

Eat fresh parsley if you have it to hand.
posted by calico at 12:30 PM on November 25, 2009

Serene Empress Dork got it right, you need parsley. If you don't have any, try celery (one of parsley's relatives).
posted by pick_the_flowers at 12:30 PM on November 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

I find that pickled ginger really helps too.
posted by futureisunwritten at 12:33 PM on November 25, 2009

Hmmm. Celery leaves worked surprisingly well!
posted by Sassyfras at 12:46 PM on November 25, 2009

Milk doesn't really work, it just hides it for a bit. Parsley sort of works. A few bites of a lemon (tequila-style) works. Fennel works, including those little candy-coated fennel seeds you eat after Indian food.
posted by rokusan at 5:44 PM on November 25, 2009 [1 favorite]