We make garlic powder from leftover cloves before they dry out in the cupboard. The trick: 60 degrees C top and bottom heat with the oven door left open. With a closed door, moisture condenses inside, and the garlic goes mouldy instead of drying out.
Stored in an airtight container, the powder keeps for at least a year. Fresh cloves go soft after about 3 weeks, start to sprout or begin to mould. That is the practical reason we process surplus bulbs straight away.
Garlic Powder with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 1 ✓
- 8 garlic bulbs
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Line the baking tray.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
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2
Slice the garlic.
Separate the garlic cloves from the bulb, peel them, cut into thin slices and spread out on the baking tray.
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3
Dry the garlic.
Dry the garlic on the middle shelf for about 5 hours at 60 degrees C, using the top and bottom heat setting. Keep the oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon wedged in to let moisture escape. Check the drying progress from time to time. The garlic must no longer feel moist.
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4
Grind the garlic into powder.
Put the garlic into the mixing bowl and grind for 30 sec / speed 10, then fill into a sterilised jar, seal well and store in a cool, dry place.
Tip: You can also add salt before grinding, if you like.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why 60 degrees and not hotter
At 60 degrees C the water evaporates while the essential oils stay intact. Above 80 degrees C the natural sugars in the cloves start to burn, the powder turns bitter and loses its pungency. The 5-hour drying time is not an exaggeration but a physical necessity. Garlic is 60 per cent water. All of that moisture has to go, otherwise the powder will clump in the jar.
Keep the oven door propped open with a wooden spoon. That lets the moisture escape. With a closed door the air inside the oven stays humid, the garlic does not dry through properly and can go mouldy during storage.
Slicing rather than chopping
We slice the cloves into thin rounds, about 2 to 3 mm. Thicker slices take longer, thinner ones burn more easily. Chopping does not work because small pieces dry unevenly. Some will go too dark while others stay moist.
Spread the slices on the baking tray without overlapping. Where slices lie on top of each other, the garlic will not dry evenly.
Checking how dry it is
After 4 hours, take a slice out of the oven and try to snap it. If it bends rather than snaps, the garlic needs more time. Properly dried slices crumble into powder when you break them. Any flexibility means moisture is still present.
Depending on the thickness of the slices and how moist the cloves were, drying time can vary between 4 and 6 hours. Checking in between is essential.
30 seconds at speed 10 is enough
Put the dried slices into the mixing bowl and grind for 30 seconds at speed 10. Longer is not necessary. The garlic is so brittle that it is completely pulverised after 30 seconds. If you want to add salt, do so before grinding. The salt absorbs any remaining moisture and makes the powder keep even longer.
Fill the powder into a sterilised screw-top jar and seal it airtight. Store in a cool, dry place. Humidity causes the powder to clump, and light fades the colour.
When older bulbs are still usable
As long as the cloves are still firm and free of mould, you can use them. Discard soft cloves with brown patches. Slightly dried-out cloves are fine as long as they are not mouldy. The outer skin may be dry, but the clove itself must still feel firm.
Sprouted cloves work too. Cut out the green shoot, as it tastes bitter. The rest of the clove is perfectly usable.
How long the powder keeps
Stored airtight, the powder keeps for at least a year. If it becomes damp or starts to clump, moisture has got in. Seal the jar immediately and use the powder up quickly. Mould only develops if the powder was not completely dry in the first place or if moisture has entered the jar.
Also worth a try: Christmas Cappuccino Powder with the Thermomix®.
The powder loses some of its pungency over time. After a year it will be milder than freshly ground. For dishes where you want a strong garlic flavour, simply use a little more.
