Photo: Lynn Andriani

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3. Have a liquid handy.
The instant the garlic turns lightly golden ("a crucial moment," says Lidia Bastianich), it's time to add a liquid or wet ingredient to the pan. It could be wine or broth, as in this pasta sauce, or tomatoes, such as in this recipe. This immediately lowers the temperature of the pan, so even garlic that's just 20 seconds away from burning will be spared.