How to Make Black Garlic (four Options + Video Included)

Those with a passion for food, please read on This is the ultimate recipe/science-fair-project for nerds. Forbidden Garlic

These garlic cloves have undergone a metamorphosis, becoming mellow and funky with a tangy molasses vibe instead of a sharp, eye-stinging allium. These are pliable and easy to spread, in contrast to raw garlic cloves.

Explain black garlic to me.

The amino acids and sugars in the allium sativum undergo a chemical change after being stored in a specific warm, humid environment for weeks (or months). This change is what gives black garlic its distinctive flavor.

Garlic that has turned black has not been fermented. On the contrary, it has undergone the browning process known as the Maillard reaction. It's what gives black garlic its signature flavor and transforms the cloves into something tangy, earthy, and rich that's so soft and sticky you can mash it with a fork.

Black garlic, unlike fresh garlic, has lost its characteristic sting and sharpness, and its flavor is now sweet and tangy with a bit of umami richness and funk.

The flavor has been likened to tamarind, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce. I find that the sour, umami taste of black garlic complements and enhances the flavor of other foods. It's amazing how much this one secret ingredient can improve even the simplest of recipes.

Exactly where did it start

Though its use dates back centuries in countries like Japan and China, it is generally accepted that black garlic was first developed in Korea.

• Several fresh garlic bulbs
• Wrapping in plastic
• Tin foil
• A Food Fermenter, Slow Cooker, or Rice Cooker
• A private space in the house, such as a bedroom, garage, or outdoor patio, that can be locked off when needed.
• Patience You should expect this to take at least a few weeks, and probably closer to two months.

For this demonstration, I used an Instant Pot (not so instant for this recipe), but any of the other tools should work just as well.

A well-ventilated, weather-protected outdoor area, a garage, or a room that can be closed off from the rest of the house are all great places to set up your Instant Pot, slow cooker, rice cooker, or food fermenter.

Why An initial, potent garlic scent may linger for up to two weeks during this process.

I used an extra bedroom, cracked a window, and closed the door (but the smell of garlic still permeated the hallway) to cook in my Instant Pot. This space is now commonly referred to as "the garlic room," and it took some time (and Febreeze) for it to return to its original odorless state after the black garlic was prepared in here.

Set up your equipment outside or in a well-ventilated garage if you're extremely sensitive to odors.

The only real challenges in making black garlic are time and patience.

Because of the time involved, I suggest making a large quantity to ensure that you have enough for yourself and to share as gifts with your family and friends who enjoy good food.

With this batch, I produced 16 individual garlic heads. You can do more or less depending on your needs, but if I'm only fermenting a single head of garlic, it makes sense to make a large batch. There is no difference in aroma between using one or many.

The Instant Pot method for fermented garlic

1. Fresh garlic bulbs should be wrapped in plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
2. The bulbs should then be double-wrapped in tin foil.
3. In order to keep the garlic from touching the bottom of the Instant Pot, you should use a rack.
4. Wrap the garlic bulbs in foil and add them to the Instant Pot.
5. Switch to the warm setting. ”
6. After setting the timer for the maximum amount of time, 99 hours and 59 minutes, you can begin. Once every four days, the Instant Pot will turn off; in these cases, setting it to warm again is necessary.
7. Mark your calendars three weeks from now. When that time comes, you'll begin inspecting each garlic head.

• After a month, using the same bulb as your "official tester," begin inspecting the garlic for quality. ”
• Take out a single garlic clove from its wrappings. To evaluate development, peel back the thin film of paper. (Mine turned out caramelized after about a month, but the garlic was still very solid.) )
• Put the light bulb back in its packaging and let the Instant Pot cook for another week.
• In another 5-6 weeks, you should check on the garlic once a week until it is a deep black color and soft, tender, and sticky. (The black garlic should look like in the picture below.)

This recipe is equally at home in a slow cooker, rice cooker, or Instant Pot. The garlic should be stored in a vessel with a rack on the floor to prevent it from touching the vessel's bottom; the heat should be set to "warm," and the bulbs should be wrapped in plastic and two layers of foil. ”

After four weeks, you should begin inspecting the garlic for doneness. Wrap it up and let it sit for another week if it isn't supple and black.

Garlic can be "cooked" past the point where it turns completely black, so don't stop there! The longer it is left to dehydrate, the more concentrated the flavors become and the more layers of complexity it will have.

Black garlic is made by fermenting regular garlic.

Do you want to save a few weeks of fermentation time? If you want to preserve food, try using an affiliate link food fermenter. Tools like these can shave an hour or more off the process of making black garlic cloves. These gadgets may be pricey, but they have a wide range of uses, from cooking sweet rice to producing yogurt.