In praise of garlic powder
November 7, 2022 by DarcieWatch a few videos of chefs and food writers and most of them will probably tell you that it’s best to cook with fresh ingredients, especially when it comes to garlic. You’ll see differing advice on how best to chop or mince the allium, but by and large most everyone will be saying that fresh garlic is much better than the dried version. Not so fast, says Genevieve Yam. She makes the case for when it is good – and sometimes even preferable – to use garlic powder.
Much of what amounts to garlic snobbery stems from cultural differences. “I do think there is a definite class bias,” says culinary historian and author Michael W. Twitty. “Open up any Black cookbook: Bryant Terry, Miss Robbie from Sweetie Pie’s, Sylvia’s, Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee. Just keep going. Open any one you want—you gonna find garlic powder.” Writer Helen Rosner told Yam that she was raised in a “garlic powder family.”
But there is more to it than just cultural traditions. Dried garlic, in its granulated or powdered form, offers differences from its fresh counterpart in ways that can add value. Says Rosner, “Garlic powder gives you the kind of cooked garlic mellowness without ever having to introduce heat to what you’re creating.” The article lists other uses for dried garlic and provides some insight into how it is made.
I’ve always used granulated garlic to make garlic toast and garlic croutons because it can be distributed more evenly and it doesn’t burn as easily. My cupboard will always have jar of garlic granules. How about you?
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