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When I put garlic powder in a shaker, it ends up clumping.

I tried putting in some rice, but it still clumps.

Any ideas?

fixit7
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1 Answers1

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It sounds like you've got at least two problems:

  • First, without a lid, it absorbs moisture from the air.
  • Second, shaking it over hot food delivers steam directly to the powder
  • Possibly third, the holes in the shaker may be small enough to block as soon as the smallest clumps form.

Rice will act as a desiccant and absorb water, but its capacity to do so is actually quite limited. I have a few pre-mixed spice grinders (garlic, chilli flakes, salt etc.) and they specifically say they're not meant for grinding directly over hot food.

So what can you do about it? Using a small shaker (so it doesn't hang around too long) with a lid for storage will help but, maybe not enough . If you really want the garlic powder sprinkled rather than spooned, then you could keep it in an airtight container and spoon some into a tea strainer when needed.

Chris H
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    Not worth a separate answer. Putting the clumps in a spice grinder or food processor will help re-powderize them. – Summer Mar 24 '19 at 12:17
  • @bruglesco : it might be useful to keep something larger in the bottle that could be used to shake around to break up any clumps as they form. (but before the whole thing becomes a solid lump). Maybe dried beans – Joe Mar 24 '19 at 15:56
  • What would spooning it into a tea strainer do? – fixit7 Mar 24 '19 at 19:28
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    The tea strainer would allow sprinkling but starting from a more suitable storage container, and without exposing all of the powder to steam. Any remaining clumps could be broken up with the spoon in the tea strainer. – Chris H Mar 24 '19 at 20:50
  • I will either buy some shakers with lids and make lids for what I have. – fixit7 Mar 24 '19 at 22:26
  • @ChrisH Since tea-strainers are designed to hold back *all* tea leaf particles, letting through only liquid, how fine and dry would the garlic powder have to be to fit through the mesh of one? – Spagirl Mar 25 '19 at 12:14
  • @Spagirl the OP specified garlic powder. I don't use it much but happen to have some at the moment and it's a fine as flour - which dusts well using my tea strainer. I more often buy my dried garlic in the form of granules which wouldn't sift at all. BTW my tea strainer is a steel mesh rather than nylon – Chris H Mar 25 '19 at 13:07
  • @ChrisH Fair enough, just checking! The only garlic powder I've ever had wouldn't have gone through my steel strainer, but clearly variety exists. – Spagirl Mar 25 '19 at 13:51