Stems and bulbs
Dried GarlicHalved and Sliced: Drying Time and Storage
Garlic often gets left over, and if it sits around it sprouts. Dried well, it keeps a long time and is handy to have.
Dried garlic has a softer, mellower aroma. Fry it slowly in oil for garlic chips, or chop it into stir-fries and soups.
The cut changes the drying time. This time we dried it two ways: halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise.
| Cut | Drying time | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Halved lengthwise | 7 days | 2 months at room temperature |
| Sliced crosswise (5 mm / ¼ in) | 5 days | 2 months at room temperature |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry garlic
- Peel: Separate the cloves and peel off the skins. Trim off the hard root end.
- Cut and remove the germ: The green germ in the center tastes bitter and burns easily, so remove it.
- Halved lengthwise: Cut in half lengthwise and pick out the germ.
- Sliced crosswise: Slice about 5 mm (¼ in) thick and push the germ out with a toothpick.
- Lay out and dry: Lay out without overlapping, somewhere sunny and breezy. Bring in by evening.
Garlic’s smell transfers easily, so we recommend drying it on a metal rack, such as a cake cooling rack, that doesn’t hold smells. On a bamboo basket, the smell can linger for a while. Tools are covered in Tools for Drying Vegetables and Tiger Crown Cake Cooling Rack.
When it’s done
Halved lengthwise (7 days)
It’s done when the halves have shrunk, don’t dent when pressed, and are rock hard. They’re thick, so ours took about a week.
Sliced crosswise (5 days)
It’s done when the slices have shrunk thin and are hard enough to snap. Ours took 5 days.
Day by day
We dried the halves on a bamboo basket and the slices on a cake cooling rack.
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
The slices are done at this point.
Day 6
Day 7
The halves are done too.
Storage
- Room temperature: Put rock-hard garlic in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun for about 2 months. Double-bag it or use a jar so the smell doesn’t spread.
- Frozen: To keep it even longer, freeze it. It keeps about 6 months.
Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage. Don’t eat it; throw it away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
How to use it
- Garlic chips: Put dried slices in a frying pan with oil over low heat, and take them out just before they turn golden. They keep coloring from the remaining heat, so take them out early.
- Chopped in stir-fries: Soak in water for about 10 minutes, then chop.
- Use it dry: Add straight to soups, curry, stews and the oil for spaghetti aglio e olio.
- Grind it: Grind crisp slices in a mill for garlic powder.
A caution about storing in oil: If you put dried garlic in oil to make garlic oil, always keep it in the fridge and use it up within about a week. Oil, where there’s no air, is an environment where botulism bacteria can grow. Never leave it at room temperature.
