Making Black Garlic In a Food Dehydrator

While checking the food menu in an expensive restaurant, have you ever seen the name of “black garlic”? Do you know what dried black garlic is?

The dried black garlic prepared from the whole garlic that is kept warm for a long time so that it converts into the black color. It has a very sweet, umami-rich and woodsy flavor without any bitterness and garlicky taste.

It can provide excitement and panache to any recipe like salads, soups, rice, veggies, meat dishes, and toast. The texture of the black garlic is spreadable and soft.

It is quite easy to prepare black garlic in a food dehydrator and add it to the pasta, roasted meats, and salads for the unique flavor. But do you know how to make black garlic in a food dehydrator?

In the below article, we will guide you on how to prepare black garlic in a food dehydrator with the help of a few easy steps. Moreover, we will also share some useful information about the black garlic that will enhance your knowledge more about this healthy food.

What is Black Garlic?

Before moving to the steps of making black garlic in a food dehydrator, let’s tell you more about the back garlic in detail!

Black garlic matured garlic that grows in Asia. However, you shall come across the recipes in which it is shown as a fermented food. The humidity and low heat are critical for making dried black garlic. According to the study, Black garlic has more antioxidants, nutritional, and medicinal benefits than white garlic. 

Now black garlic is becoming quite popular among the people as they also realize numerous health benefits of this amazing dried food. Several herbalists and practitioners use black garlic as natural medicine nowadays.

There are 2 phases of black garlic, i.e., semi-dehydrated and thoroughly dehydrated. In the semi-dehydrated stage, the black garlic is slightly soft along with the intense syrup taste whereas in the thoroughly dehydrated stage the black garlic is dried so much that you can easily ground it to form a powder. It requires a specific temperature and drying time for making black garlic.

List of things required for making black garlic in a food dehydrator

The following are the essential things that required for making black garlic in a food dehydrator:

• 6 to 12 whole garlic bulbs
• Plastic wraps
• Aluminum foil 
• Heatproof containers
• Paper towel
• 1 Food Dehydrator

Step By Step Instructions for Making Black Garlic in a Food Dehydrator

You have to follow the below step by step instructions for making black garlic in a food dehydrator:

Step 1: Wrap gralic in plastic wrap and aluminum foil

Firstly wash the garlic cloves properly and tap dry them with the paper towel.

Once it properly cleaned, wrap garlic with plastic cover and 2 layers of aluminum foil to prevent it from the electromagnetic field.

Step 2: Set the temperature of the food dehydrator

Now Place all these garlic in heatproof containers that hold all these garlic and place that container in the dehydrator.

Set the temperature of the food dehydrator at 140 degrees F to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and leave it aside for 40 days period.

After 40 days (yes, 40 days), check the status of the garlic if it turns into black color without the garlicky flavor. The black garlic will not have garlic flavor and, if it has, then left it for more few days.

Step 3: Check the drying status of the black garlic

As soon as the garlic becomes dried after 40 or 50 days, take out the cover. Check if it is black and strong enough to take away a bulb from its skin effortlessly.

The correctly dried black garlic will not be mushy at all. Do not leave the cloves for so much long time in the food dehydrator that they become too hard.

Step 4: Grind or store the black garlic

After making the black garlic, you can grind them in the coffee grinder for making the powder that can be used for sprinkling on your favorite recipes. The black garlic can be stored in the airtight bags or containers, and you can store it in the pantry for around six months. You can use it in beef, lamb, poultry, pizzas, seafood, risottos, pasta, eggs, and aioli and also in desserts.

Tips for making black garlic in a food dehydrator

While making black garlic in a food dehydrator, there are few tips that you can follow for the best drying results:

• You can use any garlic for making black garlic in the dehydrator but the garlic having purple or red colored exterior is the best one.
• Always wash the garlic properly for removing the dirt from it.
• The garlic bulbs should be dried thoroughly. You might use the fan or place the machine in the dry area for accelerating the drying process.
• Place the whole cloves of the garlic in a single layer over the trays of the dehydrator.
• If you want chewier and scoop-able texture then, turn ON the dehydrator machine for two weeks

Final Thought

Some people have a delusion in their mind that the black garlic loses its health benefits after drying in the food dehydrator. But that is not the right thing as the black garlic comprises of extra S-Allycysteine and antioxidants.

S-Allycysteine is a compound which is quite useful for preventing cancer. As time passes, the Black garlic gets better with the sweeter flavor. You can easily store the black garlic in the pantry for a long time.

We hope that after reading the above information in the article, now making black garlic in a food dehydrator seems to be quite easy for you. All the steps for drying garlic are quite easy to understand and follow.

But if you are still facing any issue while making black garlic in a dehydrator then, do let us know in the below comment box. We will surely help you in solving your problem.

Don’t forget to share your experiences and thoughts on making black garlic in a food dehydrator. It can also help us in making pour article more helpful and informative to the other dear readers like you!

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