Garlic Powder
Garlic powder is handy when mixing spice rubs, letting you add subtle garlic flavor with no distinguishable garlic texture. Made from dehydrated, ground garlic cloves, it’s easy to keep on hand as a pantry staple. We tried five brands of garlic powder; four from the supermarket and one purchased online from a reputable spice vendor, sampling them in garlic croutons and garlic bread.
All of the ingredients were the same: simply “garlic” (the organic label read “organic garlic.”) In appearance, they differed in color and grain size, from pale beige to brownish straw, and from fine powder to distinct sandy granules.
With prices ranging from $0.67 to $3.11 per ounce, we thought surely our tasters would detect a difference. To our surprise, tasters found all but one of the garlic powders acceptable—although, truth be told, they weren’t crazy about any of them. Though all had perceptible garlic flavor they were also very mild and often tasted dusty or stale. They simply lacked the character and bite of fresh garlic. In the few applications where you don’t want the moisture of fresh garlic or where the garlic could easily burn (like on a hot grill) we found that just about any garlic powder will do, especially when mixed with other spices in a rub. While we don’t recommend using garlic powder in applications where garlic is the dominant flavor, in croutons and garlic bread, our winning brand barely edged out the competition, though the runner-up is nearly as good.
| Product Tested | Origin | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly Recommended | |||
|
Columela Extra Virgin Olive OilOur favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil from a previous tasting, Columela is composed of a blend of intense Picual, mild Hojiblanca, Ocal, and Arbequina olives. This oil took top honors for its fruity flavor and excellent balance. Tasters praised its “big olive aroma, big olive taste” with a “buttery” flavor that is “sweet” and “full,” with a “peppery finish.” One taster said: “It’s very green and fresh—like a squeezed olive.” Another simply wrote: “Fantastic.” |
Spain | $19 for 17 oz |
| Recommended | |||
|
Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive OilTasters noted this oil’s flavor was “much deeper than the other samples,” describing it as “fruity, with a slight peppery finish,” “buttery undertones,” and a “clean, green taste” that was “aromatic, with a good balance.” “It has the flavor that some good EVOOs have,” said one admiring taster. |
Italy | $19.99 for 500 ml ($39.98 per liter) |
|
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive OilVirtually tied for second place, this oil was deemed “round and buttery,” with a “light body” and flavor that was “briny and fruity,” “very fine and smooth,” and “almost herbal,” with “great balance.” “Good olive flavor. I could smell it and taste it,” approved one taster. In a word, “pleasant.” |
Italy | $17.99 for 750 ml ($23.98 per liter) |
| Recommended with Reservations | |||
|
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive OilA clear step down from the top oils, tasters noted “overall mild” flavor and “very little aroma,” with only a “hint of green olive” and a “hint of spiciness at the end.” In pasta, it was initially “not complex,” but gradually “bloomed in your mouth.” Overall, it was “worthy of a second bite.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $12.49 for 750 ml ($16.65 per liter) |
|
Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive OilWhile some tasters found this oil “sweet” and “buttery” with “medium body” and “slight spice at the end,” others complained that it had “zero olive flavor” and was “so floral it’s almost like eating perfume”; still others noted a “bitter” aftertaste. In pasta, it was “extremely mild” to the point of being “boring.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter) |
|
Goya Extra Virgin Olive OilComments: The best comments tasters could muster were “mild” and “neutral.” Some liked it on pasta (though one called it “Snoozeville”), but complaints were myriad: “metallic,” “soapy,” “briny,” “hints of dirt.” Carped one taster, “I can’t imagine what is in here, but they have a nerve calling it EVOO.” |
Spain | $13.99 for 1 liter |
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