Garlic Press

[sketch182]

Unlike some, I have never used a garlic press without first taking off the skins. It only takes a few seconds and less cleanup. I prefer using my knife.

 

[FincaPerlitas]

I don't use garlic presses but have heard a couple of good justifications from those who do. My wife prefers them because she doesn't have to worry about the garlic smell on her fingers. My daughter uses one for uncooked garlic when she wants the flavor and juice but doesn't want chuncks of raw garlic in the food, for example in hummus or salad dressings.

Personally, I don't care about the garlic smell on my hands. It helps keep the vampires away. As for chunks of raw garlic in salad dressings, etc., I solve that problem by mashing the garlic with salt. I have a wooden mortar and pestle reserved just for garlic since I use a lot of it.

 

[Claire]

I've had garlic presses in the past, but found it was just one more thing to clean when for my purposes the knife I'm probably already using works fine. I, too, do not mind the smell of garlic on my fingers (yes, I happen to be married to a fellow garlic lover, no vampires here). That said, have you seen those little soap-sized metal gadgets that claim to take the garlic smell off your hands?

Take your largest stainless steel serving spoon. After washing your hands, take it in your hands and rub it over your fingers under running water. It works.

 

[babetoo]

once upon a time, i was at mom's house cooking dinner for her, and needed to smash up some garlic. she handed me her garlic press (i'd never used one), and even after peeling the papery bits off the cloves, a good half of the pulp was left in there after squeezing. promptly went back to smashing with a knife from the 2nd clove on.

and now for the eyerolls from all: at my house, i'm far too lazy for any of that mess, so i buy industrial-size jars of diced garlic preserved in water.

me too, although not a very large size. only me, takes a long time to use up. same with ginger. i don't call it lazy , i call it saving time and temper

 

[Russellkhan]

I like this method - though I'm not as fast with my knife (yet!).
YouTube - Garlic Rumbler- How to Mince Garlic

For large amounts of garlic I use a mortar & pestle

 

[Walt Bulander]

yeah, i dont like garlic presses....ive also noticed that they leave a "skin" in the press that clogs it and is very difficult to clean

i prefer my knives

Try not peeling the clove. Very fast, and usually the skin comes out in one piece, at least in a Zyliss.

 

[freefallin1309]

I have to agree with Scotch on this - the Zyliss is the only one I haven't thrown out, and actually works fairly well. But, I've used the side of my knife and used the smash and mince method for so many years I keep forgetting about the Zyliss.

I'm with Scotch and Michael ... if you're doing bulk garlic, the Zyliss press is the way to go. It's faster and dices nicely, not to mention it "juices" them as well (better than a knife blade) For one or two cloves, no ... the side o' me blade will do nicely

 

[Grovite]

I fall into the knife camp most of the time, however, if I do use a press, I use a Rosle. It is expensive, but it does a good job.

Believe it or not, the little Chef'n Rolling garlic chopper actually works! Granted, people give you odd looks when you're rolling it across your board like a Hot Wheel, but hey, it's just another way to have fun while getting your garlic goodness

 

[B'sgirl]

I love my garlic press. I have the Pampered Chef one which also comes with a tool to remove the skin. And honestly, I am just not coordinated with knives. I have cut myself more times than I can count. My garlic press has saved me loads of time and frustration.

 

[alexk]

alton brown uses a sample piece of marble counter top, looks very efficient.

 

[kathrynb23]

I have an untouched garlic press as well. Nowadays I just use my mini Garlic and Ginger grater if I wanted my Garlic to be really fine, otherwise a good ole smash with the knife blade is the way to go.
I agree the Garlic press is a fail, and difficult to clean as well!

 

[RPCookin]

I do either, just depending on circumstances. One thing I do is a quick smash and peel the cloves first. My press is an OXO and it swings open 300+ degrees with pegs to match the holes - makes cleaning a breeze. And when I'm doing several cloves, they just follow one after the other, so any waste is minimal.

I also use the chop and mash knife method, and that's fine for one or 2 cloves, but if I want more than that finely minced, then I use the press. I'm handy enough with a knife, but I'd sure never try to hold myself up against a professional chef for knife skills.

 

[Chef Zev]

Oxo makes great tools but no matter how good one makes a tool, the garlic press is a different matter. The biggest problem I have with a press is that they are so difficult to clean. I love using garlic in my cooking and the best way to mince garlic is to peel the cloves and chop with a chef knife. The trick is to put a few tablespoons of olive oil or other cooking oil on top of the garlic as you chop. This will prevent the garlic pieces from flying all over your board and sticking to your knife. Also, having the garlic in oil will allow you to store it up to a week in the fridge inside an airtight container.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Those of you who are having such difficulty cleaning your garlic press, I'd be curious to know what brands you are using. I own a Zyliss press like the one pictured on page 1. I've had it for about 6 years now (purchased after seeing a review on America's Test Kitchen, as I recall) and all I can say is that it works like a charm. And with the included cleaning tool, it takes all of about 15 seconds to clean out - much less time than a microplane.

I wouldn't use a garlic press for just a couple of cloves. It's not worth getting out of the drawer for that. But for applications involving large amounts of garlic, I wouldn't be without it.

 

[no mayonnaise]

I'm going to let all of you in on the secret of secrets:

DON'T PEEL THE PAPER OFF OF THE GARLIC BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN THE GARLIC PRESS!

Then you won't get a single bit of clogging, because the skin stays with the paper. Once you open up the press the skin and paper come out easily, in one piece, with no waste. I've used the Pampered Chef brand one for years and years. It's been flawless. There are definitely some AWFUL garlic presses out there that don't use up all the garlic clove, but either way, don't peel it before you put it in the press!

 

[Pippipotamus]

I prefer the garlic press. I smash and peel the cloves first. what's left in the press is just skin-type stuff, I pull it out throw it away. Garlic's really not that expensive.. The press does a better job than I can at mincing plus my fingers don't get all sticky.

 

[Pippipotamus]

I'm going to let all of you in on the secret of secrets:

DON'T PEEL THE PAPER OFF OF THE GARLIC BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN THE GARLIC PRESS!

Then you won't get a single bit of clogging, because the skin stays with the paper. Once you open up the press the skin and paper come out easily, in one piece, with no waste. I've used the Pampered Chef brand one for years and years. It's been flawless. There are definitely some AWFUL garlic presses out there that don't use up all the garlic clove, but either way, don't peel it before you put it in the press!

I have never heard this advice before whoah

 

[bakechef]

Yeah, my Zyliss isn't hard to clean at all. If I don't use the tool, I use my dish brush, just run it across the holes and it pushes anything through, takes absolutely, certainly the same or less time than cleaning a knife and a board. I DON'T peel my garlic beforehand.

I still feel that many have an aversion to garlic presses for two reasons, hard to clean (many aren't), and they feel less "chefy" using one because the famous chefs shun them.