I use a lot of garlic in my cooking, so like to have a lot on hand. To make this easier, I always have lots of dried or minced garlic on hand. This saves me time by not having to peel garlic while cooking a meal; I use the dried or minced garlic I have, then buy in bulk (or harvest from the garden) and prepare for use again. Read on to learn how to dehydrate garlic to make garlic powder.
Dried Garlic
Even though raw garlic can be kept for months in a cool and dark environment, you do want to use it before it starts to sprout. Dehydrating it is one way to help preserve it for later use.
Dehydrated garlic can be used in soups, stews, seasonings, the same way you would use fresh garlic. One fresh clove or garlic is the same as 1 TBSP of minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon of dried garlic.
The hardest part of dehydrating garlic is the peeling. There are many ways you can peel garlic:
- microwave the cloves for a few seconds – up to 7 secs – before peeling
- soak the cloves in water for 10 – 15 minutes – this method will add water to the garlic which will increase the time needed to dehydrate the garlic
- place cloves in a jar, secure the lid and shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds
Dehydrating Garlic
- Once the garlic is peeled, it needs to be chopped before placing it in the dehydrator. An easy way to do this, is to place it in a food processor and pulse for a couple of seconds until it is diced.
- I have sheets that I place on my dehydrator trays so that nothing will fall through. Spread out the garlic and place the trays in the dehydrator.
- Set the temperature to 125˚F or 50˚C and dehydrate for 8 to 12 hours.
- You could use this dehydrated garlic in soups or other dishes that include chopped garlic, though I prefer to use minced garlic in these circumstances and use the dehydrated garlic to make powder.
Conditioning Dried Garlic
Once the garlic has been full dehydrated, they will need to be conditioned to be kept without going off. Fill a jar about two-thirds full and seal the lid. Over the next week or so, shake the jar a couple of times a day. If you start to see mould, it will need to be thrown out. If you see moisture, they are not dried enough, and need to be placed back into the dehydrator.
Once they have been conditioned, the jars can be fulled completely and stored in a cool, dark place. If they do start to have a strong smell or you can see moisture in the jars, it is time to dehydrate another batch of garlic.
Garlic Powder
To make garlic powder, take the dehydrated garlic, you can do it a couple of ways:
- Place in a food processor and process until a powder. When doing this, my garlic took a long time to turn to powder as it kept getting blown around.
- Place in a grinder type machine and grind this way. I personally haven’t tried this method, so can’t say if this works.
- Use a pestle and mortar to grind the garlic to a powder. This does take a bit of muscle, but I found it worked well.
Storing
- Store the dried garlic or garlic powder in clean, airtight glass jars.
- Label, making sure to write the date the garlic was dehydrated on.
- Store away from direct light and heat.
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