What's The Best Way To Store Black Garlic And How Long Does It Last?

Black garlic adds a decadent sweet and savory flavor to your cooking — but what is it? It's aged garlic, not to be confused with pickled garlic. To make it, whole raw cloves are heated to between 160 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit with controlled humidity for one to three months. This facilitates the Maillard reaction, a caramelization process that turns the garlic into a soft, spreadable umami bomb. During this time, the sharp garlic bite goes away and is replaced with notes of molasses, miso, and licorice. Black garlic has a unique flavor all its own that every food lover must try. But if you want to skip the hassle and get right to the good stuff, you can buy it at your local grocery store or even on Amazon.

The best way to store black garlic is in its own paper casing, left at room temperature for up to a month. This technique allows black garlic's natural paper wrapper to provide the proper air circulation and keep out mold. Be sure to find a dark, cellar-like spot to protect it from heat, humidity, and sunshine.

If you want your black garlic ready to eat, peel the bulbs, toss them into an airtight container, and store them in your fridge for up to a month. And to keep black garlic delicious for up to a year, peel the cloves and freeze them in an air-tight container.

Black garlic is one of those sneaky ingredients that adds the "it" factor to every dish it touches. It can be used as a spread, in sauces and pastas, on meat or fish, or even in desserts — and it doesn't taint your breath!

Add black garlic to your favorite garlic-forward dishes like mussels, shrimp scampi, or escargot in a one-to-one ratio and see what you think. Melt a teaspoon into a half stick of butter and brush it onto a toasted baguette or drizzle it over popcorn. Stir a few cloves into your next batch of garlic and cilantro soup, or whip a bit into classic recipes such as deviled eggs, Hollandaise sauce, or homemade aioli.

Black garlic is great for entertaining. Skewer a few cloves and add them to your brunch bloody marys, or make a memorable appetizer by spreading it on toast points and topping with blue cheese and walnuts. Try it in our cucumber umeboshi salad, or whisk it into your next homemade dressing. For dinner, spread a tablespoon onto a grilled swordfish steak and sprinkle with fleur de sel, or stir it into scallion rice. And for an adventurous finishing touch, surprise your guests with black garlic ice cream. You can do this by adding a few mashed cloves into a quart of your homemade batch. Try mixing it with a vanilla base for an earthy twist, dark chocolate for balance, or toasted sesame for a nutty experience. No one will know what hit them.