I love trying new things and have been curious about black garlic for quite a while. Mainly used in Asian cuisine, it is said that the health benefits from eating black garlic are great. It is an antioxidant, lowers high blood pressure, increases liver function and reduces fatty liver deposits. It helps to lower blood sugar levels and reduce bad cholesterol and triglycerides while it raises good cholesterol. It is simple to make, and I’ve heard raves about the flavor. Using large white heads like elephant garlic has a savory flavor and is compared to umami or sun-dried tomatoes. Using the red or purple garlic heads will result in a caramelly sweet flavor. The aging process to turn regular garlic into black garlic results in the sugars reducing under low heat and with a controlled humidity is called a Maillard Reaction. This reaction produces the black color and creates/concentrates the health properties that is fueling its popularity.
The hardest part of getting ready to make black garlic was finding a rice cooker/slow cooker with the warm function. You’re looking for a temperature between 140-170F and the low setting of many cookers is still above this range. Get some good garlic heads. Wrap them in aluminum foil. Put the bulbs in a single layer in your cooker and replace the cover. Cook 24-7 on the warm setting for about 4 weeks. Yes, 4 weeks. The foil helps reduce the smell, but it will still cause some odor in the house. If you have an outdoor area or garage available, please consider that option. I am testing with a mini cooker that holds two large heads. If I like it, I’ll get a big one and likely make extra to sell at markets. In the worst case, my cholesterol and waistline could improve! I will post an update in December with how it went and some recipes if I like it. If I don’t like it, it’ll be a short post.
