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Every housewife can prepare dried garlic at home. This vegetable is indispensable in cooking; it is added to many dishes and is loved for its spicy taste and aroma. This product is very useful. It contains many vitamins, microelements and essential oils, helps strengthen the immune system and maintain health. There are several recipes for preparing dried garlic. The most common ones are described below.
Garlic is a vegetable that helps whet your appetite.
Is it possible to dry garlic?
Many people have bought or seen garlic on store shelves not only in fresh, but also in dry form. This is a seasoning that is added to dishes by almost all cooks, and for many recipes it is considered an indispensable ingredient. But few people know that drying garlic is also possible at home. Moreover, this process does not require any special equipment or culinary skills. Any housewife can make the spice; it’s easy and doesn’t take long.
What are the benefits of dried garlic?
The benefits of fresh vegetables have been known for a long time, several thousand years ago. The use of dried garlic, if prepared in accordance with the technology, is also very beneficial. The aromatic product contains allicin ester, which has antiseptic effects, potassium, iron, magnesium and other nutritional elements. Helps fight bacterial diseases, rids the body of viruses, and is indicated for varicose veins and atherosclerosis.
The main beneficial properties of dried vegetables:
- stimulation of digestion;
- lowering cholesterol levels;
- cleansing the circulatory system;
- positive effect on blood vessels;
- prevention of thrombosis;
- acceleration of metabolism and weight loss;
- preventing the occurrence of tumors;
- disinfection;
- improvement of reproductive functions.
The vegetable is a natural antioxidant responsible for beauty and youth
Choosing and preparing garlic
In order for the culture to retain the maximum of useful substances, it must be dried correctly, so that during the procedure the composition is not lost and the aroma and taste are preserved. To do this, it is important to choose the right heads and prepare them properly.
Almost any garlic can be dried for seasoning, but some varieties may lose their taste due to moisture evaporation, so experienced housewives advise giving preference to winter varieties for this method of harvesting. They have a brighter taste, which is not lost after they are dried. In addition, it is better to choose high-quality heads for this purpose: with a dense pulp structure, elastic and strong.The varieties Southern Violet, Silver-White, Kalininsky, Creole are perfect.
To prepare high-quality dried garlic at home, it is important to properly prepare the product. You should wait until it is completely ripe, but not overripe, as the vegetable may begin to re-grow, causing its quality to deteriorate. The right time to collect the heads is easy to determine; it occurs when the leaves and stems of the crop turn yellow and lie on the surface of the ground, and the root collar dries out.
The harvest should be dug out from dry soil, in clear but not hot weather; after digging, you need to shake off the remaining soil from the heads, then spread them out on the bed in one layer to dry. After a few hours, put it in a ventilated area and let it dry completely for about a week.
Next, to prepare the dried seasoning, it is recommended to disassemble the vegetable into cloves, remove the scales, and if any damage is found, cut them off with a knife. If there are spoiled or dark specimens, they should be discarded.
There is no need to wash the cloves before you start drying them.
How to properly dry garlic at home
To dry garlic at home, you will first need to chop it. It is best to cut the slices into thin slices or into two parts. It is impossible to allow the product to lie in this state for a long time; it is advisable to immediately begin the drying process.
Since there are several ways to dry garlic for the winter, this gives everyone the opportunity to choose the appropriate option. The vegetable is dried by processing in the oven, in a special electric dryer, microwave oven, and even in the open air. The main thing is not to overheat it, then you will be able to retain all the benefits.
How to dry garlic in the oven
Drying garlic in the oven is one of the simplest ways to prepare aromatic spices. Its only drawback is that it generates too much heat, and the house is filled with the smell of the product, which will disappear over several days.
Prepare the dried product as follows:
- Place the vegetable slices evenly on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Place the product in a cabinet heated to 50 °C.
- Dry the garlic in a slightly open oven for 90 minutes.
- Take out the baking sheet, mix the contents, leave for half an hour at room temperature.
- Return the vegetable to the cabinet and cook until cooked, stirring occasionally.
When the slices become brittle and brittle, they can be removed from the oven.
Drying garlic in an electric dryer
It is more convenient to dry garlic not in the oven, but in an electric dryer. It copes with the task faster and allows you to get the purest possible product.
The cooking instructions are as follows:
- Place the prepared vegetable on the appliance grids.
- Turn it on and dry the garlic at a temperature of 50-60 °C.
- Sometimes changing the grids in places to bring the product to readiness.
The average cooking time for spices in an electric dryer is about 15 hours
How to dry garlic in the microwave
You can also dry garlic in the microwave; this is usually done when the product is needed urgently. To do this, cover the plate with a sheet of parchment, place slices of vegetables on top, turn on the device for 2-3 minutes, then release steam from it and repeat the procedure again. Do this until the slices are ready.
Drying garlic in the sun
Properly drying garlic for seasoning in air is quite problematic. This traditional method has many disadvantages: dust settles outside, the weather is not always suitable, and it is rarely possible to find a clean place. But still, some housewives still continue to make dried garlic in this way.
The technology of the process performed in the sun looks like this:
- The chopped garlic slices are distributed evenly, in one layer, on a baking sheet, mesh, or plywood sheet.
- Place the containers outside, in a draft, but under the sun.
- Turn the slices over periodically to prevent them from sticking to each other.
- The dried product is poured into boxes and stored.
All garlic cloves must be well dried, otherwise during storage they can spoil the entire portion of the preparation.
Checking readiness
Dried garlic should be checked periodically during cooking to ensure readiness. Those pieces that were thinner dry out faster, and it is not advisable to allow them to overdry, since they will subsequently become bitter and can spoil the seasoning.
Checking the readiness of the product is easy. It is enough to take one slice and try to break it; if it is soft and moist, you need to increase the cooking time, and if it breaks easily and crumbles, then readiness has been achieved.
How to make powder
Dried garlic can be stored in slices, but for some dishes it is more convenient to use it in powder form. To prepare this seasoning, you just need to grind the product in a coffee grinder or spice grinder. It is advisable to sift the resulting powder through a sieve, and grind the large particles again.
Dried garlic can be used for cosmetic purposes, such as wrapping
Storing dried garlic
If you follow the storage rules, dried garlic will be suitable for use throughout the year. It is best to keep the product in an airtight, tightly sealed container; a dark glass or ceramic jar would be ideal. The place where the container is located must be dry, out of sunlight, and the temperature remains at the same level.
It is better to store garlic powder in small portions in different containers and use it within a month after preparation.
How to use dried garlic
Culinary experts note that the taste and characteristics of dried garlic do not differ from fresh garlic, so it can be used in the same way. In addition, it is practical and time-saving, since you do not need to constantly clean and grind the product. Housewives add it to first and second courses, minced meat, sauces, baked goods, and salads.
The use of dried garlic is widespread in folk medicine, cosmetology, and everyday life.With its help, they effectively control pests at home and in the garden.
Conclusion
Dried garlic at home, when properly prepared, can retain all its beneficial qualities and remain just as aromatic and piquant in taste. This method of preparing the product helps to store it throughout the season, which is very convenient. To achieve a positive result during processing, you should adhere to simple rules: choose suitable varieties of garlic, carry out its preliminary preparation, observe the temperature regime during drying, and then adhere to storage recommendations.
