How to Use Cloves

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Cloves ( Syzygium aromaticum ) are an unopened flower bud from an Indonesian tree. They are used as a spice in food dishes, and also have medicinal and household uses. [1] Every pantry should have fresh cloves and ground cloves on stand-by for various uses.

Things You Should Know

  • Use cloves to add a warm, spicy flavor to dishes. Add cloves to apple and pumpkin pies, relishes, chutneys, and pickles, or to rubs on meat.
  • Or, mix cloves into drinks. Make a spicy chai tea, mead, cider, or even hot chocolate.
  • Cloves can also be used in your home to get rid of flies, remove mothball smells, and add a pleasant scent to drawer liners.
Section 1 of 2:

Benefits of Cloves

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  1. Cloves have many potential health benefits. Research shows that consuming cloves may be associated with a variety of health benefits, including: [2]
    • Improvement of symptoms related to diabetes
    • Reduced inflammation
    • Inhibited oxidative stress
    • Reduced microbial growth
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Section 2 of 2:

Using Cloves

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  1. Cloves have a strong, spicy flavour with a warm to hot taste. A very little goes a long way in food. Some examples of using cloves in food include: [3]
    • Fruit pies. Typically, they are added to apple pies and they can also be added to other fruit pies that need a warm, spicy flavour.
    • Relishes, chutneys, and pickles. Cloves make a spicy addition to many of these condiments.
    • Poke them into a ham.
    • Add crushed or ground cloves to cakes and desserts requiring a warm, spicy flavour.
    • Use cloves in Indian cuisine. Cloves are a popular addition to many curry dishes and to biryani .
    • Make coffee figs with cloves.
    • Use them with pumpkin and squash dishes; the cloves complement the flavours of these fruit vegetables well.
  2. [4] Cloves make a tasty addition to various winter style drinks such as mulled wine and warm cider. You might also like to try:
    • Orange, cinnamon and clove mead
    • Hot spiced cranberry cider
    • Wassail
    • Spiced tea
    • A little powdered cloves with 70% dark chocolate and heavy cream. Add hot milk or water and stir well.
  3. There are numerous uses for cloves in the household, from shooing away pests, to creating a lovely fragrance in the home. Some ideas for use include: [5]
  4. Bite on a few cloves before you can get to the dentist, to alleviate pain. [6] Be sure not to swallow them!
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Will someone with a tree nut allergy have an adverse reaction to cloves?
    Community Answer
    No, cloves are not nuts and are safe for people with tree nut allergies.
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  • Question
    How many cloves should be used for a 3 pound ham?
    Community Answer
    Use about two and a half tablespoons ground up and rubbed into the crevices of the the ham. It adds a lovely aromatic flavor that's absolutely superb.
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  • Question
    How do you make ground cloves?
    Community Answer
    Get some regular cloves and microwave them so they become hard; the other way is fry them in the pan. When they cool, crush them.
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      Tips

      • Clove oil can be used as an anti-bacterial/anti-microbial but only use it this way under very strict instructions from a qualified health practitioner. [7]
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      Warnings

      • Be very careful when using clove oil. It should not be used in large amounts because it can have unpredictable effects. It contains eugenol, which can damage your health (it is a weak tumor promoter). [8]
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      Things You'll Need

      • Fresh cloves
      • Clove oil

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-cloves.html
      2. ↑ https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/Fulltext/2014/07000/Clove__Overview_of_Potential_Health_Benefits.9.aspx/feed/
      3. ↑ https://www.foodandwine.com/seasonings/spices/best-cloves-recipes
      4. ↑ https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/coffee-with-cinnamon-and-cloves/
      5. ↑ https://www.naturallivingideas.com/cloves-uses/
      6. ↑ https://everydayroots.com/clove-toothache-remedy
      7. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3769004/
      8. ↑ https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/ra/c7ra04803c

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