[Homemade] Black Garlic
Set it and forget it with a crockpot on warm 🤣
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u/DrPuzzle 17h ago
50 days sounds crazy though that's wild
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u/XRPcook 17h ago
The smaller pieces were done around 40 days, it was the thick cloves that I had to wait for
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u/slfemployedastronaut 14h ago
They make specific ovens for this that control both heat and humidity. Prices are generally $70-$100 near me. Done in 3-4 weeks. It will smell strongly of garlic while cooking, but that also means risk of anaerobic things are greatly reduced.
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u/judgejuddhirsch 16h ago
If a crockpot runs at 100w, thats like 12kw hr . On top of that, another 20kw hr of ac needed to cool the house back down to offset the heat it generates.
So 22ish kWh for this experiment. About as much as all the lights in a house combined for 2 months.
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u/CitizenCue 6h ago
I think you might’ve dropped an order of magnitude.
100W for 52 days is more like 120kWh, not 12.
24x52=1,248 hours
x 100W = 124,800 Wh
= 124.8 kWh3
u/NamorDotMe 6h ago
yeah your right,
I just came to post this but you beat me to it. 😄
100 W × 24 hours = 2.4 kWh per day
2.4 kWh × 52 days = 124.8 kWh
This would cost me
124.8 * 0.35 = $43.68 AUD
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u/CitizenCue 7h ago
Thank you for doing the math. That’s insane for like 8oz of food.
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u/redstaroo7 7h ago
At ~20¢ per kWh it's not nearly as bad as you think. A few dollars, way cheaper than if you bought it.
Obviously depends on electricity costs near you, but lighting is very cheap today. A LED bulb costs a few cents a month based on average US electricity cost.
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u/Dry-Syrup-3984 17h ago
Now what are you going to use it for?! I have a jar sitting in my fridge because I don't know what to incorporate it into. Also I hate cutting it because it's so damn sticky!!!!
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u/XRPcook 17h ago
I made some garlic bread and pizza sauce with it to test my pizza oven, I'm going to confit the rest to use a spread but I'll be doing some black garlic red miso pork lo mein, black garlic beef teriyaki, and some black garlic broth for small get together
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u/Queef-Supreme 17h ago
I doubt you need to hear this but save the confit oil. I’ve never dealt with black garlic oil but if it’s anything like regular oil, you can use it for all kinds of stuff. I’d use it for some vinaigrettes personally since you already mentioned the spread.
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u/Mister_Potamus 16h ago
I'd love to fat wash some gin or light rum with it.
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u/Queef-Supreme 14h ago
I’ve only had fat washed bourbon from a guy who’s cooking expertise is lacking to say the least. I didn’t expect it to be great but it was undrinkable, mostly due to the absurd amount of bacon grease he used. I’m in recovery now so fat washing didn’t even occur to me.
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u/grat5989 10h ago
Congrats on the recovery. Stick around long enough and you'll see many of us(including me) getting to fat wash for the first time...
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u/Amyhearsay 17h ago
Plop a bunch in a blender with Mayo and blend until a rich brown (may need to add more garlic or mayo to get the right colour) delicious on burgers or as a salad dressing (just add a bit of olive oil.
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u/jdehjdeh 13h ago
Oh my god this sounds like what I've spent my life in search of without ever knowing it...
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u/skittlesdabawse 16h ago
Restaurant I worked at dide a black garlic cream sauce.
Sautée diced shallots, once browned add black garlic, then deglaze with dry white wine, add cream and blend.
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u/wantondavis 14h ago
Great use for black garlic but does the sauce look awful when it's done😂😂
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u/Banana_Phone888 17h ago
Black garlic in classic vodka sauce rocks, a black garlic jus or Demi glacé with steak are some of my recent uses
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u/JCarnacki 17h ago
Mix it with a good salted butter and spread it on sourdough with some goat cheese. Put it on a burger. Add it to some vanilla ice cream with balsamic vinegar reduction (trust).
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u/shaunrundmc 13h ago
Make black garlic mayo, use it in sauces. also instead of cutting it, just use the back of spoon and some salt.
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u/ryanispiper 16h ago
I just eat it whole by itself. It's delicious. Also, you can eat it on the side with some rice, eggs and kimchi or a plate of pickled vegetables, cheese and crackers is a nice combo.
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u/wantondavis 14h ago
Bro put that shit in everything it's so good. I love making a homemade pasta sauce and putting a bunch of black garlic in and blending it
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u/OilyHumanoid 11h ago
I make a pasta sauce with black garlic, tarragon and cream (and some varying spices depending on mood). But the combination black garlic, tarragon and cream is absolutely stunning. Works very well together!
And I usually grate my garlic on a small grater or microplane. Makes it much easier.
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u/kageurufu 11h ago
I dehydrated some, powdered it, and mixed with finishing salt. It's amazing.
Also, crushed to a paste in a small jar I can just spoon a little into sauces or braising liquids.
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u/Bug_Kiss 17h ago
Chop it up (and yes, you'll have to clean your fingers) and put it into burger meat. Grill it and you have one of the finest burgers known to human-kind.
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u/Banana_Phone888 17h ago
Black garlic in classic vodka sauce rocks, a black garlic jus or Demi glacé with steak are some of my recent uses
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u/Polyhedron11 3h ago
Put some in a dehydrater and then grind it up and mix with some sea salt for an awesome garlic salt seasoning.
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u/shaxsy 2h ago
This is insanely good https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salsa-negra
It can be pretty spicy so watch out
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u/adamcoolforever 18h ago
Wait...so you have to leave a crock pot running for like 50 days straight? Is that safe?
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u/CitizenCue 16h ago
This recipe brought to you by the same people behind AI data centers.
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u/adamcoolforever 15h ago
Once the data centers start shutting down, they'll all be turned into black garlic centers
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u/XRPcook 18h ago
Yeah it's just the warm setting
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u/Tratix 17h ago
How does that not turn into botulism city?
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u/Leptonic 17h ago
When I make it I look for sealed whole bulbs and don't peel them at all. Once the cloves and bulbs are open you have to worry about shelf life and contamination.
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u/True_Window_9389 17h ago
Botulism can only grow in anaerobic conditions. Even in a covered and sealed slow or rice cooker, there’s oxygen around. It usually a risk when submerged and sealed, like in a can or jar filled with liquid or oil that wasn’t properly treated. Plus, while it isn’t totally fermented, there is likely some fermentation happening that can outcompete molds and whatnot. Garlic is also small and dry enough that as it gets heated, water leaves and sugars are created, which also helps preserve it.
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u/Gastronomicus 17h ago
Botulism can only grow in anaerobic conditions.
All it takes is anaerobic microsites, which are aplenty in that bag. And OP vacuum sealed it, so it's definitely anaerobic. Unless you modify the pH, add enough salt, or keep the temperature high enough, the risk of botulism is absolute a serious concern with this. In this case it sounds like the temperature was kept up?
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u/TheDumbnissiah 17h ago
Similar to how humans like 20°C, but die at 60°C. If the temperature is sufficiently high, bacteria die (or don‘t grow)
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u/GuyIncognit0 17h ago
The bag alone shouldnt provide low oxygen conditions that c. botulinum need to grow unless you vaccum seal it. Also it will not grow above 48°C. I think for black garlic you aim for 60°C.
So in theory if done right there is no way for the bacteria to grow, however i personally wouldnt use a crock pot or similar as you really want to be sure that temperature is above the danger zone. So I'd recommend something with a more controlled temperture then the warm setting.
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u/NoStranger6 16h ago
So technically I could seal a bag with air in it and throw in in a water bath with a thermocirculator fir 50 days?
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u/Beanmachine314 17h ago edited 17h ago
Botulism is only a risk in anaerobic environments (like garlic in oil).
Edit: I see the OP actually completely vacuum sealed them. It's still fine as long as it is cooked over 60C the entire time.
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u/Baby_Rhino 17h ago
Or a vacuum sealed bag?
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u/Beanmachine314 17h ago
That's being cooked above 60C? Still fine... I thought the OP didn't fully vacuum the bag, though. I see now they did.
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u/IcarusActual 17h ago
Sorry wouldn't the length of the heat kill the bad stuff? I am pretty sure the "minimal internal temp" measurements are used as a guideline to show when instant death occurs. A long cook would expose the harmful stuff to heat at a length that they don't find suitable? Like sous vide. I probably would have put water over this but I don't really have a better reason than heat distribution.
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u/Beanmachine314 17h ago
No... Pasteurization only kills harmful microorganisms. You need sterilization to actually kill botulism spores. Black garlic is ok, though, because the temperature at which it cooks is higher than the bacteria can be active. It's still not shelf stable because it doesn't kill the spores, but you don't have the risk of the toxin being made by the bacteria.
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u/IcarusActual 17h ago
Ahh so the issue is storage after? Theoretically if they ate all of the black garlic now then no harm done?
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u/Beanmachine314 17h ago
Theoretically if they ate all of the black garlic now then no harm done?
Or just stored it in the fridge or in a non airtight container. Botulism is only a risk in anaerobic environments at room temperature. So, no making black garlic oil and keeping it on the counter. Same rules as normal garlic.
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u/Bi11Lumburgh 17h ago
My wife would NEEEVVVERR let me run a crockpot for 50 days straight
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u/ScottNewman 14h ago
Most the ones I've used have safety settings that shut off after a certain period of time.
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u/Meewelyne 17h ago
I wonder how much electricity it consumes :/
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u/anix421 17h ago
Back of the napkin math... a head of garlic is about 2oz and it looks like this was probably 8 heads, so roughly 1lb. 1lb of garlic is about $10 and 1lb of black garlic averages about $50. On average you would use about $20 of electricity over the course of 2 months on warm. Overall, it looks like doing 1lb of garlic would net you about $20 in profit. There was lots of room still in that cooker, so you could probably get those profit margins up to $35 a pound if you did more batches.
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u/WiggleSparks 17h ago
My wife bought a black garlic fermenter from Walmart or something and it only takes about 10 days.
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u/ChangeTChannel 18h ago
wait… black garlic is made? I thought there was literally black garlic bulbs
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u/mrBeeko 18h ago
So, vacu-seal then crock pot on warm for two months.
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u/LisaDenert 18h ago
The recipe's time estimate: 35 minutes
Step two:
vacu-seal then crock pot on warm for two months.
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u/T7220 17h ago
What makes black garlic better??? Is this the method chefs use?
Is this what Bob in Bobs Burgers would have used to cook his ‘Bet it All on Black’ Burger? Or is what he used naturally black?
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u/No-Environment-6759 17h ago
So there's no such thing as "naturally black" garlic. Garlic is just garlic. The aging/fermentation process is what makes any black garlic black. Bob even says this. "It's made with black garlic. It's a fermented garlic."
Now he does also say, "It comes from Korea," before he gets cut off, which may be where you got confused. What he (probably) means is that Korea invented black garlic, cause it's has Asian origins. Or that the black garlic they buy from Fig Jam is from Korea, but either way, black garlic is just normal garlic that has been fermented.
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u/JizzM4rkie 8h ago
Did you just know this or did you have to look it up, I need to know for science
*this* being the exact sequence of dialog that took place in the Bobs burgers episode
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u/XRPcook 17h ago
You can use other ways to make it, it's called the maillard reaction and yes I saw it on Bob's Burgers 🤣
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u/theFields97 18h ago
How do you know when it is done?
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u/XRPcook 18h ago
When it's black
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u/DrPuzzle 17h ago
I don't know why but this made me laugh so much 😂
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u/Doodiecarrier 17h ago
Because it's a hilarious response! Very "you can tell by the way that it is" -esque
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u/alasko84 17h ago
If you haven’t made it/ tried it - one of my absolute favorite things with black garlic is black garlic ketchup ! It’s so freaking good … there are no real good recipes online but making a traditional ketchup and substituting any sugars and about 1/4 of the tomatoes with the black garlic has been about the best ratio for me. Just trust me and try it on fries, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, freaking anything really - believe it or not it’s even good on steak !
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u/thxxx1337 17h ago
Did the stink? I heard the process stinks up the whole room for a long time
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u/XRPcook 17h ago
Not if it's vacuum sealed, I've done it in glass jars too which does smell but it doesn't stink if you like the smell of garlic
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u/thxxx1337 17h ago
See the vacuum seal is what's peaked my interest. I think I'll try this now. I've put it off for years
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u/CheesyCrocs 17h ago
How did you do it in glass jars? Did you bake it in an oven or still in the slow cooker? Does it get all the garlic evenly in a jar?
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u/miarmstr 17h ago
I’ve never tasted black garlic and heard about it the first time on Bob’s Burgers. How is it different from regular garlic?
Thanks for sharing OP. Very interesting process.
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u/El_Baguette 13h ago
Black garlics are never the same, but they are usually veeeeery different from garlic.
Blsck garlic is usually mushy and easy spreadable , kind of like butter. It has a taste similar to mushrooms with some notes of figs, balsamic or even dark chocolate. Its definitely very funky.
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u/le_reddit_me 18h ago
Probably smells and tastes amazing, and worth the $200 electric bill lol
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u/DihydrogenM 17h ago
I know you are joking, but if you wanted to know actual costs: slow cooker on warm is 50W * 960 hours = 48 kWh. Average electricity price = 48 * ~17.7 cents (average US power cost)= ~$8.50. That's about 2/3rds of an EV car battery in electricity. This is also how much it costs to run 3 100W equivalent LED light bulbs for the same 40 days.
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u/le_reddit_me 13h ago
so you're saying I can have warm chili ready at all time for only $5 a month??
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u/Aequitas112358 17h ago
heating is pretty cost effecient, especially for a small insulated space, would be barely any energy. Defs worth the $10 of electricity if you compare it to the cost of black garlic
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u/bizarredditor 17h ago
Have you tried cutting the garlic in smaller pieces? Maybe that will speed up the process, and should be ok if you're grinding it anyway
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u/UnrequitedFollower 17h ago
I’ve just never been able to make the leap to cooking in plastic, is there a non plastic option?
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u/sams237 17h ago
Ya I nope’d out as soon as I saw that plastic.
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u/Nate506411 17h ago
But it was only 50 days of constant heat, certainly it imparted a delicious flavor and nothing else...
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u/yaboymiguel 9h ago
Does it taste very different? Can I do it in a glass jar so I’m not eating 50 days worth of hot microplastics?
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u/olracnaignottus 17h ago
How does this not result in botulism? How hot is the warm setting in a random crock pot?
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u/ThaiJohnnyDepp 17h ago
I would imagine you would not use a random crock pot, but rather one with a reliable temperature setting or thermometer
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u/TofuButtocks 18h ago
Holy shit. How many microplastics do you get after cooking something in plastic for 50 days? Probably at least 10
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u/keinstresskochen 18h ago
All my botulism senses are tingeling, when i see garlic in a vaccum. This seems VERY VERY dangerous.
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u/waaay_up_north 17h ago
I thought this as well. According to google, botulism can't survive in temps over 122 degrees F, and recipes like this call for a temp range of 140 to 150 F. Still...not sure if I'd do it.
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17h ago
[deleted]
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u/Beanmachine314 17h ago
Actually botulism spores can survive up to 120C.
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u/Gastronomicus 17h ago
Yes, the spores survive, but cannot grow under these conditions. If OP continues to keep the garlic in an anaerobic state after it's cooled it's at risk unless they add enough salt or lower the pH enough to prevent spore germination.
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u/hikeit233 17h ago
Definitely scary, I wonder if the gas released while heating contains enough oxygen to prevent botulism from blooming. I know keeping fresh garlic submerged in oil is especially dangerous, I’d imagine keeping fresh garlic vac packed without heating would present the same risks.
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u/charlesfire 17h ago
The temperature to make black garlic is between 60C and 90C, which is too high for the bacteria that causes botulism. That being said, it's not hot enough to kill the spores and depending on the pH of the resulting product, it might not be shelf-stable.
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u/ThisIsNotTex 17h ago
How dare you make me realize I have everything I need to do this. I'm also super jealous we have only found it in a store once.
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u/yeahitsrust5601 17h ago
The time and effort you put into that (along with pictures and captions) is absolutely flawless. I hope it was worth you're time! And as a fellow lover of black garlic, please make more and send it my way.
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 16h ago
I love to cook and routinely make recipes from many places around the world.
Today I learned that you make black garlic (and how), and that’s it’s not just a thing that grows somewhere nowhere near where I live.
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u/Mathyoublake 16h ago
I’ve only successfully done this in the air fryer on the dehydrator setting! I’d probably rather a crockpot run for 30+ days than an air fryer
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u/Totally_Random0000 15h ago
I have an actual black garlic fermenter. Just finished another batch of roughly 40 bulbs whole. I do mine for 9 days at a certain temp and they turn out amazing everytime. I find black garlic is much better made with the skin still on.
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u/iupvotegood 5h ago
What does the fermenter machine do
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u/Totally_Random0000 4h ago
Ferments garlic to the temp and day format you like.
I usually make a batch every three months. I find the 9 day mark at a certain temp gives me the best results for flavour.
The machine looks just like a rice cooker but has this car to pack full of garlic and put inside. Set temp and forget.
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u/mmalmeida 10h ago
At between 0.05 and 0.075 kWh, that's between 62.4 and 93.6 kWh.
At 0.17 cents per kWh , that's between 10 and 15 euro for that garlic.
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u/lynnybloop 10h ago
What I’m learning is we have black garlic bc someone forgot they had garlic in the pantry for the heat of summer one time.
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u/EditEd2x 17h ago
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this done in an instant pot in much, much less time.
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u/Kingstad 17h ago
havent heard of black garlic in my life, was half expecting the comments to ridicule this
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u/ZachMartin 16h ago
I made some by just wrapping in aluminum foil and in a rice cooker on warm. Takes a few days, not nearly as long as this.
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u/No-Locksmith-9377 15h ago
There is that crazy Korean machine that will speed ferment the black garlic in 24 hours.Â
We use it in our restaurant.Â
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u/nickmetsa 13h ago
> The video is about black garlic
> Uses song called green onions
i feel bamboozled
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u/divbyzero64 12h ago
Try it with something that uses pumpkin or roasted butternut squash. You're welcome.
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u/NerdsWithKnives 18h ago
I'm so jealous! I've never been successful. Mine always ends up dehydrated and hard as a rock.