Freeze Dried Garlic vs Fresh

Freeze Dried Herbs & Spices

For us, freeze-dried garlic tops fresh garlic in several ways, especially when it comes to storage life. This is why we always have freeze-dried garlic in our pantry. Freeze-dried garlic also has so many uses, cooking, and health-wise, that it’s a must-have in our food supply. As for the rest, here’s our comparison of freeze dried garlic vs fresh.

Storage life

A whole unpeeled garlic head can stay fresh for up to six months if stored properly. And an unpeeled clove can last for 3 weeks. So, what happens when you get too busy with life that you don’t have time to cook your aromatics? They start to turn or get dull and have patches of color.

But if you freeze dry garlic and store it properly, you have an aromatic that’s good to go for 25 years or more. So to make your freeze-dried garlic last for decades, you should:

• Use Mylar bags or mason jars – Mylar bags are lightweight and convenient to carry around. Mason jars give you a visual of how much freeze-dried garlic you have.
• Utilize oxygen absorbers – to help take out oxygen that oxidases or breaks down the freeze-dried garlic
• Room storage – should be 72°F (22 °C) or lower, draft-free, and moisture free.

You can take your bags of freeze-dried garlic anywhere with you without worrying about spoilage.

Freeze Dried Garlic vs Fresh: Taste

Freeze-dried garlic has twice the flavor in its dried state. In fact, a 58oz or 45g of Litehouse freeze-dried garlic is approximately 45 cloves of fresh garlic. Reconstituted, they have that same bright garlicky flavor as fresh ones.

But many suggest that you start with a little before adding more. If let’s say, the recipe wants a teaspoon of fresh garlic, try using 1/2 or 3/4 of a teaspoon, then taste. Some say they need to use less freeze-dried garlic compared to fresh ones, while others want more.

Another good thing about freeze-dried garlic vs fresh is that it’s not overpowering. You have that sweet, garlic taste, but with less heat and pungency of fresh ones. It’s an excellent alternative for those who can’t tolerate the intense flavor of fresh garlic.

Ease of use

What’s the thing that you hate about preparing garlic? For us, it’s the pounding, peeling, and slicing. And what’s worse, you only have a short span of time to use the leftovers. Once you peel garlic, it would only take hours or even minutes for the garlic to turn green.

But with freeze-dried garlic? All you have to do is open the bottle and get what you need. Close or seal the bottle, and you still have the fresh flavor of garlic days, weeks, and months after. It’s very convenient when you’re in a hurry, like when unexpected guests come over.

Versatility

What’s more, since they’re freeze-dried, they’re easier to toast down to crispiness. Freeze drying removes up to 98% of water content in food. So, if you want to have some garlic powder, just pass your garlic through a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle.

If you want fresh garlic’s sweet, mellow flavor, you can put them directly on soups and sauces. They also make marinades come alive and burst in flavor.

If you want the extra crunch, you can toast them easily and top them on your salads, soups, or other meals.

So, what if you love making a garlicky dish and have guests that hate big garlic pieces? You can easily grind the freeze-dried garlic into powder. With this, your guests don’t have to pick through their food. What’s more, making dry rubs for your meat and seasonings for your Asian dishes is easy.

Health benefits

Aside from being a universal aromatic, garlic is also one of the oldest natural medicines in the world. Fresh garlic is believed to carry antibiotic properties, and there’s a study showing its effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Although many recognize fresh garlic’s health benefits, it’s put aside because of its strong pungency.

Freeze-dried garlic is easier to take because it’s sweeter and less dominant in flavor. Studies also showed that freeze-dried garlic powder also has antimicrobial properties. This is because of thiosulfinates, which are esters reported to have antibacterial, antifungal, antineoplastic, and antithrombotic properties.

This means that nutritionally speaking, freeze-dried garlic equals its fresh counterparts in benefits. This is because freeze-drying preserves as much as 90% of food value. Some even say up to 98%.

This is because freeze-drying helps delay the oxidation process. Oxidation is known to break down nutrients in food the longer they’re exposed. This means that as fresh garlic ages, it can give less nutrient benefits.

If you’re going to ask us to choose between freeze dried garlic vs fresh? We’ll gladly answer freeze-dried garlic. Prepping it for freeze-drying may be a lot of work at first, but once you get your supply? You don’t have to worry about spoilage or prepping as long as you have them.

What do you like about freeze dried garlic vs fresh? Let us know in the comment section.

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