Garlic press

[Windows]

I’m looking for a garlic press that will push all of a single peeled clove through (not leave most of it sitting uncrushed in the chamber) and will be easy to clean (not expect you to find a tiny piece of wire to remove garlic plugs from a bunch of tiny holes). Does anyone use a nice garlic press that you’d recommend?

Often making fresh guacamole and hate the garlic press that we’ve got since it fails to crush most of a single clove and is hard to clean. Not so bad if crushing an entire bulb, but far from ideal when making a little bit of guac to put on a slice of toast.

 

[RogerS]

I don’t think that you I’ll find anything …caveat Adrian will know if there is such a beast. It’s because of the very nature of the clove structure…long ‘ligaments’ that will cover many holes and prevent good egress of the rest.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I've tried several over the years, all with the same downside that you describe.
These days I just crush the clove with a wide knife and chop it. Not the same, I know.
One thing I saw and wish I'd bought was a little ceramic dish, with a very coarse bottom, onto which you grate the garlic. Just run it under the tap to clean it, no holes to clog. It wasn't this one, but the same idea.
S

 

[duke]

I have a small hand press one that works well but I'm on the road , when I get back I will post a pic.
By which time you may have one.

 

[HdV]

For what you describe I stopped using a press altogether. I switched to a very fine grater from Microplane and am very happy I made that choice. That thing is like magic!

[Edit] It is this one:

Professional Series 2.0 Fine Grater

The Microplane Professional Series Fine Grater is the epitome of culinary excellence, now reimagined with a comprehensive redesign to enhance durability. Crafted with stainless steel, this grating powerhouse is perfect for transforming hard cheese, citrus fruits, garlic, chili, cinnamon, and...

microplane.com

Very good as a zesteur too by the way.

 

[AJB Temple]

I've yet to meet a chef who uses a garlic press. They are all useless and slow when cleaning is factored in.

I use a heavy knife, cut the root end off, then use the flat of the blade on a few cloves and clout it with the heel of my hand. Chop very roughly, sprinkle on some coarse salt and use the blade dragged over the cloves nice and hard to make a paste. Scoop up and into the pan. This is the classic and fast method. Sometimes I add a bit of saffron.

Lazy route for a lot: cut the tops off several whol bulbs, roast in an oven for 20 mins at 180, with a little rape oil on top, then squeeze all the soft garlic out.

Microplane works but you have to wash the MP very well or it taints everything afterwards.

Japanese grater is good, The one Steve is talking about is a Spanish ceramic grater. They are also good but can grate fingers too.

I make a LOT of garlic paste (ie 750 g + tubs, and I just run the lot through a Robot Coupe (pro version of a Magimix basically) and if I want it super fine I pass through a tamis using a plastic bread dough scraper.

The OXO good grips press is readily avaialble and as good as any. I'm quicker with a knife though and get a better job. Horses for courses.

Super cheat - buy jars of whole garlic in lidlaldi and keep in fridge.
Super cheat 2 go to an Asian supply store and buy a tub of minced garlic (500g upwards) for about £5. Keep in fridge. Lasts ages.

 

[HdV]

What AJB Temple describes is certainly how it is done by the chefs I have worked for when I was a student. And for something like a bowl of red or pasta I still do it like that. It is quick and easy. But the TS mentioned making guacamole. That requires a very smooth paste. I my case it is more often tzatziki or aioli, which also require very smooth pastes. It is probably due to my lack of technique, but the knife-mash-method takes too much time for me if I really want such a very smooth paste. That's why I recommended a very fine grater. After peeling it takes me literally no more that 5 seconds to create a nice pulp. I never managed to get the same result in 5 seconds with the flat of a knife. I expect others, not trained as a chef, won't either. As far as cleaning goes: 10 seconds maybe?

Again: this is not to say your method isn't good. I just don't expect everyone will manage to get your results easily.

 

[Setch]

Everything above is true, but as Adrian said, the OXO good grips press is as good as you're likely to find. Still can be fiddly, but it has little cast 'fingers' to clear the holes when you invert it.

 

[RogerS]

I've yet to meet a chef who uses a garlic press. They are all useless and slow when cleaning is factored in.

I use a heavy knife, cut the root end off, then use the flat of the blade on a few cloves and clout it with the heel of my hand. Chop very roughly, sprinkle on some coarse salt and use the blade dragged over the cloves nice and hard to make a paste. Scoop up and into the pan. This is the classic and fast method. Sometimes I add a bit of saffron.

Lazy route for a lot: cut the tops off several whol bulbs, roast in an oven for 20 mins at 180, with a little rape oil on top, then squeeze all the soft garlic out.

Microplane works but you have to wash the MP very well or it taints everything afterwards.

Japanese grater is good, The one Steve is talking about is a Spanish ceramic grater. They are also good but can grate fingers too.

I make a LOT of garlic paste (ie 750 g + tubs, and I just run the lot through a Robot Coupe (pro version of a Magimix basically) and if I want it super fine I pass through a tamis using a plastic bread dough scraper.

The OXO good grips press is readily avaialble and as good as any. I'm quicker with a knife though and get a better job. Horses for courses.

Super cheat - buy jars of whole garlic in lidlaldi and keep in fridge.
Super cheat 2 go to an Asian supply store and buy a tub of minced garlic (500g upwards) for about £5. Keep in fridge. Lasts ages.

Adrian, do you keep the skins ? You didn't mention peeling them off.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

long ‘ligaments’

And who wasn't paying attention in Biology class all those years ago?

I siuspect you are referring to proto-xylem vessels, Roger. You know, the ones that lignify with age so we can all fashion them into....

 

[AndyP]

I’m not allowed to cook with garlic

 

[AJB Temple]

Adrian, do you keep the skins ? You didn't mention peeling them off.

If you clout it with a knife, the skins come off easily if the root end has been sliced off first. You just pick the cloves up, dump gritty salt on and get to work with a knife. I do several at a time. If I am putting them through a tamis out of the Robot Coupe, then that process removes all debris (skins etc) and I get an ultra smooth paste. No added salt. This is actually the best way but only worth it for large quantities. You could do it in a small machine (say a pesto maker if you have one). My idea of a large quantity is 20-40 bulbs (not 60 cloves).

Unless you are doing the whole fine dining thing, then buying garlic paste from an Asian shop is best as the quality is great, it is super cheap compared with buying whole bulbs (we grow ours) and keeps for months in the fridge. You can also portion it and freeze it.

 

[AJB Temple]

PS a tamis is a fine drum sieve. Indispensable in a pro kitchen. For this job you use it upside down and push the garlic through with a plastic scraper as used by bakers - they cost pence. (I get them free usually at trade events). This is the same method for making ultra smooth mashed potato.

 

[Dr.Al]

I’m not allowed to cook with garlic

I was given some advice on cooking many years ago. Salt, chilli & garlic. All of these things you get used to the more you use, so if you're ever cooking for someone else, use a lot less than you normally would as what tastes to you like a light touch tastes to your guests like it's the only thing you use.

I use a lot of chilli when I cook (not for guests) but don't use much salt or garlic. I visited some friends in Spain many years ago and they served up an amazing platter of crab and other seafood with potatoes and vegetables. I couldn't taste the difference between the crab and the potatoes: they both just tasted of garlic to me.

 

[AJB Temple]

The oven roasting method works very well if you want to make garlic much less pungent. Failing that blanche peeled cloves for 20 seconds in boiling water before mincing them. Takes the pungency out. Also elephant garlic is milder. If you want to go all pro, take the green core out of each clove and discard. This too makes garlic less pungent. A green core indicates garlic is getting on a bit (it's the sprouting shoot) and is usually very bitter.

 

[Phil]

I tried a grater, too large, which resulted in 2 bloody knuckles, blood all over, and chucking out what was on the plate.

What i usually do is buy 1kg ginger and 0.5kg garlic.
Peel the ginger with a teaspoon and cut into chunks.
Garlic cut off root end and top, peel off the skins.

Get the food blender out, mix the above 2 into the bowl, beat it up to rough paste, into large plastic bag, flatten bag, into freezer.
When cooking just break off a piece.
Note - it needs to go into another bag as well to contain the garlic smell else everything in the freezer smalls garlicky!

 

[Windows]

Thanks for all the great info and insight into your cooking methods. I think next time, I’ll try and develop my knife technique and see how I get on while doing some more research on the tools you’ve all mentioned.

The quick guac I make for toast is basic & rustic - just 2 avocados, clove of raw garlic, salt, pepper, lime juice, mix and mash with fork. Sometimes gets extras (cilantro, red onion, etc) but that’s the basics. I don’t go for a smooth paste.

 

[Woodbloke]

I don't use much garlic but when I do, it's a decent sprinkling of the ground dried stuff from Tesco which costs pence. As for salt I never use it to cook with and so we just add lo-sodium salt to our scran to taste at the table. Lo-sodium salt also goes into our bread from the bread maker along with organic flowers n'butter from Waitrose - Rob

 

[Guineafowl21]

I use a heavy knife, cut the root end off, then use the flat of the blade on a few cloves and clout it with the heel of my hand. Chop very roughly, sprinkle on some coarse salt and use the blade dragged over the cloves nice and hard to make a paste. Scoop up and into the pan. This is the classic and fast method. Sometimes I add a bit of saffron.

I do exactly this after seeing Rick Stein do it, because although we have a garlic press which works well, I can never find it intact.

My wife has many talents, but storing things logically and systematically is not one of them. She’s banned from cleaning up the big mincer since the last time the parts were scattered to the four winds.

 

[GarF]

These days I grate garlic. Prior to that I too squished cloves under the flat of the blade. Including one occasion when I snapped my mate's favourite kitchen knife in half- caution advised or avoid high carbon blades for this method.

 

[thetyreman]

this is how I chop it

 

[Setch]

Me too. Unfortunately I've found that stemming the bleeding and picking out all the wafer thin bits of finger offsets any time saving.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Several options:

I like using Very Lazy Garlic;
My Mrs prefers using bagged frozen chopped garlic;
We also have a Lakeland device that is a very, very fine dicer - with the push block having a tiny finger to push through every little square hole tiny thingy;

Or simply crush with the flat of a large blade - after which a few rolling chop strokes finishes separating some of the strands.

 

[BigMonka]

My Mrs prefers using bagged frozen chopped garlic;

I used an ice cube tray to freeze portions of chopped garlic with a tiny dash of water. Worked very well and I made a few trays full.
A month later using that same tray to make normal ice cubes lead to a pretty fowl tasting G&T though, so use a dedicated ice cube tray

 

[Steve Maskery]

I used an ice cube tray to freeze portions of chopped garlic with a tiny dash of water. Worked very well and I made a few trays full.
A month later using that same tray to make normal ice cubes lead to a pretty fowl tasting G&T though, so use a dedicated ice cube tray

I use the same trick for freezing Thai Curry Paste and the like. I don't use it that often and once the jar is open it doesn't keep for ever. But one cube is enough for one person. Though again, it has its dedicated ice cube tray.

 

[Pedder]

Sometimes I use such a press with a sieve insert inlay https://www.amazon.de/Chef-Aid-10E10422-Knoblauchpresse/dp/B00VFNIG70/ref
That is easy to clean.