Garlic granulated - cooking method from A to Z

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

A good harvest of garlic is always good. But it’s not enough just to harvest, you also need to save it. Let's look at one of the storage methods - cooking granulated garlic. This method is very convenient, especially in city apartments, as it does not take up much space, but at the same time you will always have aromatic seasoning for a variety of dishes at hand.

Harvesting

Garlic should be removed from the beds in dry weather. A few days before harvesting, stop watering and let the soil dry well.

Having pulled the garlic from the ground, you need to shake off the ground from it and spread it on the bed for four hours to dry it. Then it must be moved either under a canopy or in a ventilated room for final drying.

When the stems are dry, they must be cut off, leaving at least ten centimeters. Transfer the garlic to mesh boxes and store.

Storing garlic

If you plan to knit garlic in braids, then the stems needleave longer so that it is convenient to bind them. Store such bundles in a suspended state in a dry room.

If there is not enough space to store the crop, then you can cook granulated garlic, which does not take up space, and its properties are no different from ordinary ones.

How to prepare garlic for drying?

Before you dry the garlic, you need to properly prepare it. Namely:

• disassemble the heads into individual teeth;
• remove the husk and film;
• cut off the darkened and damaged flesh.

How to mince garlic?

Before granulating the garlic, it must be crushed. There are several ways to mince garlic:

• Grate the garlic on a coarse grater. This method is not very good, because it releases too much juice from the garlic and the taste and aroma are lost very quickly.
• Chop the garlic with a food processor. This method is comparable in efficiency and the result obtained with the above, therefore it is also not recommended.
• Cut the garlic into thin slices. You can cut both along and across. The most optimal cutting method for subsequent drying.
• Cut the garlic in half, making a cut along the length of the clove. This option is best suited for subsequent drying of garlic on the street.

How to dry garlic?

Before making granulated garlic, itmust be dried. There are also several drying methods.

1. In the oven. The container in which the garlic will be dried must be covered with baking paper and put the pre-cut slices of garlic into it. Preheat the oven to 50 degrees and put a baking sheet with garlic in it. The door must be left slightly ajar to avoid overheating and allow fresh air to enter. After forty minutes, the baking sheet must be removed and all garlic plates turned over to the other side. Put it back in the oven only after it has completely cooled down. It takes three to six hours to dry the garlic in this way, turning it every forty minutes. The time depends on the thickness of the cutting of the plates, the thinner they are, the faster they dry.
2. In the dryer. Sliced garlic in one layer is placed in a dryer for vegetables and fruits. Set the temperature to 50 - 60 degrees. Drying time also depends on the thickness of the cut and takes from four to six hours. The dryer is not recommended to be installed in damp rooms, as this increases the drying time. Setting the temperature above 60 degrees leads to the fact that garlic loses not only its taste and aroma, but also all its beneficial properties.
3. The natural way. The most time-consuming drying method. The prepared plates must be laid out in a thin layer on some horizontal surface and placed in a dry, well-ventilated room or outside in the shade. The plates during the day must be periodically turned over and controlled so that they do not fall ondirect sunlight. With this method, a dry product for the manufacture of granulated garlic can be obtained no earlier than two weeks later.

What is granulated garlic?

There are quite a few ways to harvest fragrant spices. It is worth talking about what it is and for what purposes it is used.

Garlic granulated is garlic powder obtained by grinding cloves into granules no larger than a millimeter.

Such garlic is no different from fresh and retains all the useful properties, as well as taste and aroma. In addition, it is much more convenient to store not whole heads, but granulated garlic.

How do they do it?

So, if you have exactly followed all the recommendations, then you should get thin dry plates of garlic, which break and crumble at the slightest pressure on them. To get granulated garlic from this "surrogate", you need to grind the plates in a mortar, coffee grinder or blender.

The less time you spend grinding, the larger the granules you get. Accordingly, the larger the granules, the stronger the granulated garlic is felt in the finished dish. The photo of the powder that you should get is shown below.

How to store?

Prepared in this way, granulated garlic does not require much space, and is stored much longer in terms of time. The prepared powder must be decomposed into glass jars(it is better if the glass is dark) and tighten the lids tightly. You need to store jars of granulated garlic in a dry and dark place - then it will not lose its taste during the year.

How to use?

Use garlic powder in the same way as any other seasoning - add 1-2 pinches to different dishes. Can be added to salads, meat, soups and main dishes. Use both fresh and after heat treatment.

If you want granulated garlic to retain its aroma and beneficial properties for a long time, carefully close the jar of powder after use, and pick up the powder only with a clean and dry spoon.