The more I look at the Black Garlic story, the better it gets. I am posting here a longer video, about a serious study on the health benefits:
And a shorter video to just sum up the benefits:
The economics of making black garlic
I had been buying an aged garlic supplement, until I found out that I could buy a simple garlic fermenter for the same money as I was spending on the supplement every six months, or a fancy one for slightly more. I found that in a 6 Liter machine I could ferment about 3 lbs of garlic at a clip, which in my latest batch was 27 bulbs. So now I could work out the economics.
- My machine defaults to 9 days, but it recommends to try seven first and only run it longer if necessary. In my experience 7 days was perfect.
- Then I hooked up my trusty Kill-a-watt watt meter and I found out that the machine used about 8 kWh in 7 days, and the typical all-in retail rates in NYC are $0.27 to $0.35, which amounts to $2.80 per batch, or around $1/lb.
- My loose garlic was $2/lb, but it often runs higher, as much as $5, or my local Shoprite charges $10 for organic garlic, and you sometimes can get fancy varieties for as much as $18/lb.
- Conclusion, the process adds about $1.00/pound.
- Prices on-line are about $18/lb for organic garlic, so if we assume that the normal price per pound was $10, plus $1.50 for the fermentation process, then we can make the same quality garlic at home for $11/lb that costs $18/lb online. I have a relative who buys the stuff on Amazon at $18/lb and he eats 1 clove in AM and 1 clove in PM. I make a 3 lb batch, and I eat one whole bulb of black garlic a day.
- Results from my first 3 batches were as follows:
- Raw: 2 lbs 11 Oz (2.67 lbs) , 27 bulbs, Black wt. 1.9 Oz (est).
- Raw: 3 lbs 6 Oz (3.38 lbs), 25 bulbs, Black: 2 lbs 2 Oz (2.13 Lbs).
- Raw: 3 lb 5 Oz, (3.31 lbs), 32 bulbs, Black: 2 lb 6 Oz (2.4 lbs)
- Consumption about 8 kWh per batch (7 days), or $2.80.
- Therefore, my cost per bulb of black garlic runs from about $0.29/bulb for low cost loose garlic, to about $1.46 for organic garlic, or more for fancy varieties.
The health benefits seem pretty conclusive to me, but for cooking the aroma is unbeatable, a lot of umami-flavor without adding any sodium, and, without the garlic smell. Plus the process boosts the nutritional value of the garlic. An all around win. I’ve been making samples for people with typically one garlic clove, a slice of pickled jalapeño on a Triscuit cracker. It’s been a great hit.
As to cooking…
The sky is the limit. Black garlic is more aromatic, and less pungent than raw garlic. It keeps about a month at room temp, or you can freeze it, and just thaw one bulb at a time. The process of fermenting the garlic is really a Maillard reaction (similar to caramelizing onions), and only a small degree of fermentation, but it is magical. The aroma is unbeatable, and it does not give you garlic breath. I will be working with this in my cooking classes, and at some point I will be updating my earlier post about umami-flavor in #WFPB cooking.