I often use granulated onion and garlic (not powdered or flaked) ON TOP of fresh! Can’t have too much onion and garlic, I say.
I PREFER fresh, but can usually only afford powdered/flaked.
I only use fresh garlic and onions .
Pretty much this. Also, depends on the “stuff” in question. Garlic powder is often OK in lieu of fresh cloves if you’re just trying to impart a hint of garlic, or for garlicky sauteing or melting over a steak I’ll opt for pre-made garlic butter.
But I love onion and IMHO there is no substitute for fresh-diced onion, usually sauteed in olive oil before being added to whatever. For many other herbs and spices, it depends. There is a world of difference between dried basil in a jar and fresh basil leaves picked right off the plant, for instance, but there are uses for both.
I don’t like the jarred stuff. It seems like a very different seasoning. I just go ahead and keep garlic on hand. I use powdered versions of garlic and onion generally for rubs. But there is a Sprout’s store around here, and produce is generally cheap there. So, I keep actual garlic, onions and potatoes around.
It depends on what I’m making, and sometimes on my mood.
Brussels sprouts require chopped onion and minced garlic. For spaghetti sauce I’ll usually just toss in garlic powder and Italian seasoning…but on rare occasions I might saute some onion and garlic with the sausage before I make the sauce.
Sometimes one, sometimes the other, based on the dish & convenience.
Not a “purist” but real onion and garlic are part of probably most of what I cook in one form or another. OTOH I don’t do dry rubs hardly ever. There’s containers of the dried stuff but I have no idea how old they are by now. Just not used often.
I never use garlic nor onions, either fresh or non-fresh.
Fresh onion, fresh garlic, all the time.
I have some granulated garlic I bought for… something. Some kind of rub or recipe, I forget what. It’s decent enough, but I can’t think of why I’d use it instead of fresh garlic.
Rubs work fine with fresh onions/garlic.
I dunno, I’m always looking for more ways to put fresh veggies into my diet, and chopping vegetables is not something I hate, so I can’t think of why I’d want to use the powdered/dried versions. I get it that some folks don’t like to cook or don’t have time to cook, but for me, I grew up with fresh, I’ve always used fresh, I don’t see a reason to change.
I posted other as the options don’t quite fit what I do.
I prefer fresh stuff but, depending on the dish, will readily use granulated garlic or powder.
Yup. I buy a jar of granulated garlic, which lasts me for a long time. It’s handy for things like seasoning hash browns, where fresh garlic will end up burned and nasty.
Exactly!
Although I love making Swiss roesti, the idea of potatoes without onions is incomprehensible. However, mixing fresh minced onions into the grated potato yields black bits of burned onion. So a teaspoon of toasted granulated onion goes in.
I use garlic powder when I’m too lazy to peel and slice garlic bulbs/cloves.
If I’m making something that requires onions, it gets onions, not onion powder or flakes.
Depends, honestly. If I’m making A Dish, then I’ll chop fresh. If I’m making something I’m just going to put in a slow cooker, I’ll used minced garlic from a car, supplemented by garlic and onion powders. Generally, I just use it when I’m wanting to add a hit of flavor to something without doing any actual work.
I use both fresh and powdered depending on what the dish is. Sometimes I want the flavor but not the texture, like in my pot pie type recipes. I find onions really overwhelm the other veggies, but some onion powder in with the other seasonings when I’m making the gravy/sauce works just right. But I’d never put powder in my stew. I’d rather have no onions than powder.
That’s the right answer.
Another thing that just flat-out doesn’t work with fresh onion and garlic is ranch dressing.
But in general, if the recipe calls for one or the other, I’m unlikely to try and substitute unless the recipe is something really slowly cooked. Those tend to blur the distinction between dry and fresh, as a lot of the volatiles get cooked out anyway.
Essentially, I always use fresh onions, and garlic – am not particularly a purist; it just doesn’t seem to occur to me to do otherwise. As regards garlic – in an emergency, I’ll use garlic puree from a tube.
Have the impression that in the UK, where I am, we don’t appear to “do” onion / garlic in powder / flakes form – I don’t seem to encounter such, in recipes or in shops and otherwise in “real life”. That could just be because I’m not seeking them. (Minced garlic in a jar, we do have.)
I’ve seen plenty of garlic powder / flakes in both deli / health stores and plain supermarkets in Britain; often the American Schwartz brand.
Ah, right – just something I don’t aim to buy, so tending to be off my radar.