As I have read through cookbooks, I have noticed that each chef has a veritable pantheon of ingredients, and techniques they favor. Typically in the beginning of most cookbooks the author will tell you tools or ingredients they swear by. One thing I do know about the way I cook is that I love spices. I love them so much I use an entire cabinet in my kitchen dedicated solely to spices. I am not in love with this current organization, so if you have any ideas of how I could improve it please share below. My favorite spices at the moment include: Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, Garlic Salt, Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt (a.k.a. Krazy Salt) and Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Most of these spices are things my mom used in cooking as we were growing up. When I went to college I realized that the funny thing about spices is you cannot always find them everywhere. Specifically I was unable to find Krazy Salt in Portland, OR when I was going to school. I was so upset by this that I told my grandmother who proceeded to buy a few jars and mailed them to me. I was ever so grateful. Also when I recently went to Japan I noticed they had Krazy Salt in their store, I was surprised and excited! On to the topic at hand. I have always loved garlic salt, growing up I ate it on croutons and garlic bread and I bought it at the grocery store frequently. This all changed last Christmas... Underneath my Christmas tree my dad sent me a bottle of homemade Garlic Salt. I waited until my normal jar ran out and then proceeded to use his. It completely changed my world. As my husband likes to say I could replace salt with Garlic Salt and be completely happy. Homemade garlic salt may seem like an extravagance, but it really has made all the difference. Since last Christmas we have gone through two jars alone and I proceeded to try my hand at making it at home. It did not go well, Yes my house smelled like garlic yes I did make usable garlic salt, but it turned green. I researched and realized that it was most likely because of the age of my garlic, a week or so old, and the low temperature garlic salt cooks at, so I tried again and had much more success. I will still be using my green garlic salt, because the flavor is still amazing, but if you care about color use new garlic from the store. To make garlic salt, preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat; mine is this one from Amazon. Then take 2 heads of garlic, about 24 cloves and peel them, if you want to save yourself time you can buy them pre-peeled at the grocery store, but I do not mind peeling while watching TV so I usually just buy regular garlic. Once your garlic is peeled add it and 2 1/2 cups of salt to a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is thoroughly mixed the texture of damp sand, and there are no visible pieces of garlic. Next spread the mixture onto your prepared tray. I use a butter knife to help make it thin. Then place the tray in your preheated oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until it is crisp when tapped with a nail. Then allow the mixture to cool completely and reblend with your blender or food processor until the mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Then store it in an airtight container and use on everything. Also I typically use old spice jars but otherwise I buy them at Bed Bath and Beyond and they are relatively inexpensive. Garlic Salt
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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