Allium sativum, more commonly referred to as garlic, is a widely used ingredient in cooking. Whether you use fresh or dehydrated garlic, the pungent and flavorful herb can enhance your dish. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, garlic may even provide health benefits like lowering your blood pressure and reducing your risk of certain cancers, although more research is necessary. Keeping garlic in stock doesn't require frequent trips to your grocery store; instead, you can freeze dehydrated garlic, so that you always have it hand.
Step 1
Place dehydrated garlic chips or cloves in a pint-size plastic freezer bag. Use heavy duty bags that will protect your garlic from freezer burn. A pint size plastic bag should hold approximately 100 garlic chips.
Step 2
Pulverize your garlic chips in a food processor if you want to freeze your garlic in powder form. The consistency will be grainy.
Step 3
Press any air out of the bag by gently pushing down and up towards the freezer bag's seal. Do not break any of your garlic chips. Ideally, you want the bag to have as little air as possible to reduce the possibility of freezer burn.
Step 4
Mark the bag with the date and put it in the freezer. The dehydrated garlic can last anywhere between six months to a year. If you notice any crystallization in the bag, this indicates freezer burn and you likely need to discard it.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Garlic
- "Functional Foods: Biochemical and Processing Aspects"; G. Mazza; 2002
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