I was introduced to "Black Gold" a few years back while I was cooking in Aspen Colorado. It was brought into me by a vendor as a free sample and a new product. Since that day, I have been determined to re-create the process for making black garlic. It took about 6 months of trial and error, but the final results were better than I hoped for. The purpose of this Instructable is to give a very clear and clean cut process to making black garlic, this process was on my mind and there were tiny bits of information on the internet that dabbled in the process but none of them gave me clear directions.
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Signing UpStep 1: The Magic Fermenting Box
The most important piece of equipment that you will need is a fermenting box. This little, or large, box will allow the garlic to sit at a consistent temperature for the allotted time. I found that a wine cooler works the best because it is insulated, therefore it will hold the heat very well. For the fan, I actually had an old hood unit from my stove that I replaced, so I kept the housing that the fan sat in and just cut the metal down to fit it into the wine cooler. I also kept the switches in-tact to be used to control the fan speed and whether I want the light on or not.
I now have a fan and two switches to control the two elements that will regulate and circulate my heat. The last item that is need is a thermostat, these will run anywhere from $80-$120, all depending on what type you get. The thermostat that I used came from Johnson Controls and they can be purchased here, this device will turn the power on and off to the box based on temperature.
Now go find yourself a vessel to make the garlic in, a device to heat the box with, a thermostat, and based on the size of the box, you will need a fan.
I now have a fan and two switches to control the two elements that will regulate and circulate my heat. The last item that is need is a thermostat, these will run anywhere from $80-$120, all depending on what type you get. The thermostat that I used came from Johnson Controls and they can be purchased here, this device will turn the power on and off to the box based on temperature.
Now go find yourself a vessel to make the garlic in, a device to heat the box with, a thermostat, and based on the size of the box, you will need a fan.
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Just cut a piece of glass to size over your fermentation tray. OR put a bowl of water on your element.
A group of Koreans named Duck, Han and Sung filed a patent for a machine in 2010 which you can see online here. Also check out the pdf file linked on that same page, which includes a sketch of a fermentation machine which I believe to be the machine shown here.
FWIW I did not know much about the fermentation process before getting interested in black garlic and I'm no pro baker but now I believe that someone is trying to trick us into thinking that there is some magical, secret process to making this stuff when in reality it is as simple as baking cupcakes for 3 weeks.
Here is a recent blog about a cook who claims he makes his black garlic in a consumer-grade dehydrator. What do you think about that (nonsense)? A dehydrator normally sucks the moisture out of food but does not ferment it. But maybe this person has a special trick?
After reading that blog I thought about using a dehydrator too but to get the required humidity for fermentation I would have to place moist garlic bulbs in mason jars or plastic-wrapped baking pans like you did in previous experiments.
But to do that I would need a larger dehydrator, such as the Excalibur or the new Sedona from Tribest.
I also think the wrapping the baking pan with foil first then with plastic might reduce any concerns that arise from using plastic, I just know that you wouldn't want to use plastic that contains PVC, which I think is excluded from most commercial plastic wraps.
I'll let you know how my first batch comes out, at least 40 days from now !!