The same onion or garlic can be sold in several cuts. Picking the right one is mostly about two questions: do you want to see pieces in the finished food, and how quickly does it need to rehydrate?
Flakes and large chopped
Larger pieces hold their shape and give a real, visible onion or garlic texture. They rehydrate more slowly, so they suit soups, ready meals and slow-cooked dishes.
Chopped
A middle size that softens well in soups, gravies and sauces, and still looks like onion or garlic when the dish is served.
Minced
Small, fast-rehydrating pieces. Minced is popular for sauces, fillings, breads and instant mixes where you want the flavour to disperse quickly without large pieces.
Granules
Uniform, free-flowing particles that mix evenly with other dry ingredients. They are a favourite for seasoning blends and dry mixes, and they meter well on packing lines.
Powder
The finest cut, for rubs, snack seasonings, instant noodles and blends where no pieces should be visible. Powder picks up moisture fastest, so it needs the most careful packing and storage.
Quick rule of thumb
- Want visible pieces: flakes or chopped.
- Want fast flavour, no large pieces: minced.
- Blending into a dry mix: granules or powder.
Garlic follows the same logic. We also supply sorted and unsorted garlic flakes, so you can choose between a uniform look and a more economical grade.