The Simple Way To Substitute Garlic Salt With The Real Thing

Garlic salt is a must-have ingredient when you are making homemade garlic bread or need a little seasoning for your garlic butter chicken thighs, but if you don't have any garlic salt in your pantry, there's no need to worry. You can always substitute garlic for garlic salt in a pinch, and it may actually make your recipes taste that much better. Garlic salt is nothing more than ground garlic and salt blended together. To substitute this dry blend for the real thing, simply mince a little garlic with some salt and you are in business. 

It really is that easy. You will want to use a 3:1 ratio of salt to medium-sized garlic clove. If you grab a page from Gordon Ramsay, who salts garlic before mincing, you will discover that the garlic's texture is going to soften as it loses moisture and in turn some of its rigidity.

You should know that something else happens when you start to slice and dice your garlic: The finer the chop, the more flavor is going to be released. This is important to remember if you want your garlic salt to be subtle or strong — so adjust accordingly. Once you feel comfortable making this substitution of a fresh garlic salt for a store-bought version when you are cooking, you can start to get creative. 

Shave a little lemon or orange zest into your garlic and salt mixture for a citrus-y note. You can use this to season chicken and fish or anytime you are roasting up some veggies. Or if you are prefer, turn to some fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, or oregano to make an herby garlic salt that you can use in your pastas or rice dishes. Make just enough of your lemon garlic salt or herby garlic salt for the recipe at hand, or consider mixing a big batch and allowing it dry so you can store it for a future use in your kitchen.