Author Topic: Garlic Press Recommendation  (Read 3628 times)

Edge of Reason

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Garlic Press Recommendation
« on: November 25, 2018, 07:37:44 AM »
I hate the one we have. It presses some of the garlic out into nice little bits but the rest is a squished up clump that needs to be chopped up a bit more by hand in the end.

I don't like chopping garlic by hand as I cant get it small enough and if the "sous-chef" use the wrong board it smells of garlic for days after (even after scrubbing with salt and lemon). Sometimes I use my small blender (when I make dressings) but when I need garlic for a recipe other than dressings I'd rather press it quickly.

What do you have and what do you recommend. I am willing to invest. We eat a lot of garlic

GuitarStv

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2018, 08:10:28 AM »
I recommend a knife.

Once you fix your technique it's going to be about the same speed as a garlic press.  If your chopping board smells for days after cutting garlic and being washed you need a new chopping board (or better cleaning technique - ditch the lemon and salt, use soap).

LipFoliage303

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2018, 08:19:14 AM »
I recommend the Zyliss garlic press. I bought one ~20 years ago and it has never let me down. Don't take my word for it, check out all the positive reviews on Amazon.

Cranky

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2018, 08:33:08 AM »
I think that the point of a garlic press isn't so much to "chop" the garlic as to actually "press" it - so you get some that is nicely squashed and aromatic  and paste-y, but then you've got the leftover clump, too. I throw that clump away. If I just want to chop the garlic, I just chop it.

I recently bought a new and heavy garlic press that can go in the dishwasher. The old one was about 30 years old and the hinge finally gave out. The new one came with a silicon tube for peeling the garlic, which has enchanted my dh for some reason.

Dictionary Time

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2018, 08:57:41 AM »
I have the Kuhn Rikon press. I like that it's super easy to clean the leftover lump out. It all separates and you can just scrape it out. Old ones I had were so much work to clean, it wasn't worth it.

LostGirl

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2018, 10:17:00 AM »
I have the Joseph Joseph garlic rocker and love it. After years of breaking garlic presses, this feels indestructible and doesn't much it too fine.

koshtra

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2018, 10:39:28 AM »
I don't think you can avoid the clump, with a garlic press. You can just toss it, though. Even Mustachians are allowed that much waste :-)

I've ended up just preferring the knife, too, like @GuitarStv . To me, cleaning a garlic press is maddening, whereas knives and cutting boards are easy. There's a bit of a knack to fine mincing, where you let the knife rock and rise under both hands...? Kind of hard to describe. I watched Julia Child do it on TV, at a young age, and was spellbound :-) When you get the hang of it you can get it as fine as you want in no time.

You do have to clean the stuff right away, in any case.

Boofinator

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2018, 10:46:52 AM »
I also eat a lot of garlic, and third GuitarStv and Koshtra. I ditched the garlic press years ago and have zero desire to go back.

Frankies Girl

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2018, 11:29:29 AM »
I used to use all sorts of one off kitchen gadgets. Then I watched several chef knife tutorials and now only use knives. I was never taught how to chop/slice/mince/etc when I was a kid because no one in my family knew how to do so either so we all took 10 times as long to cut things up and it made sense to spend money on gadgets to do things then.

So I also suggest learning how to properly mince garlic using a knife and clean your board with hot water and soap right after. It is amazing how easy it is when you get the hang of it, and that is less crap to store and clean.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2018, 11:55:58 AM »
I don't think you can avoid the clump, with a garlic press. You can just toss it, though. Even Mustachians are allowed that much waste :-)

I've ended up just preferring the knife, too, like @GuitarStv . To me, cleaning a garlic press is maddening, whereas knives and cutting boards are easy. There's a bit of a knack to fine mincing, where you let the knife rock and rise under both hands...? Kind of hard to describe. I watched Julia Child do it on TV, at a young age, and was spellbound :-) When you get the hang of it you can get it as fine as you want in no time.

You do have to clean the stuff right away, in any case.

You don't have to waste the clump though. I save it in the freezer to pop in when I'm making broth, along with my veggie scrap and meat scraps bags =)

It's funny, I went the opposite direction. When I learned to truly cook from scratch, I was living in 500sqft, and I did *everything* with my knife. There just wasn't space to spare, not when my husband was working from home in that space and I was a full time student (stuff, stuff, stuff!) When we bought a house and had a lot more space, I got a garlic press for Christmas. I *love* it for quick dishes like oven roasted Brussel sprouts and so on. I also find it weird people have such a hard time cleaning it. Mine scrapes out really easily with my finger, or I'll blast water and it blows back the way it came. Mine came with a little tool with nubs for cleaning, but I never use it.

That being said, I think knowing how to do a true mince is a really valuable skill. And is a more potent garlic. The clump has a lot of the volatile "green" flavors of the garlic, so paste tends to be milder than fresh minced. For things like soup, where you want a potent garlic, mincing is the way to go. If it'll be baked instead of boiled though? Eh.

Freedomin5

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #10 on: November 25, 2018, 08:30:59 PM »
Yes, use a knife. If you want the "smashiness" of a garlic press, first smash the clove of garlic with the broad side of the knife. That also magically loosens the skin so that it peels easily without a silicone sleeve that can get dirty and stinky. Then mince the garlic with the knife.

If I can learn how to mince garlic without losing any finger tips, then you can too!

(And I have been formally diagnosed with weak visual-spatial skills which means my brain doesn't always connect what my eyes see with what my hands do -- don't ask me how many car accidents I've been in because I misjudged distance)

Cool Friend

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #11 on: December 28, 2018, 10:48:39 AM »
Yes, use a knife. If you want the "smashiness" of a garlic press, first smash the clove of garlic with the broad side of the knife. That also magically loosens the skin so that it peels easily without a silicone sleeve that can get dirty and stinky. Then mince the garlic with the knife.

If I can learn how to mince garlic without losing any finger tips, then you can too!

(And I have been formally diagnosed with weak visual-spatial skills which means my brain doesn't always connect what my eyes see with what my hands do -- don't ask me how many car accidents I've been in because I misjudged distance)

+1.  A garlic press is a one-use kitchen tool that you don't really need.  There's a video floating around of Jacques Pépin teaching great garlic smashing technique using your basic kitchen knife.

campclimb

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #12 on: December 28, 2018, 11:53:51 AM »
Definitely prefer just using a kitchen knife. But if you must get a press I have used the Oxo with good success.

Dixie_Amazon

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #13 on: December 30, 2018, 04:55:33 PM »
I recommend the Zyliss garlic press. I bought one ~20 years ago and it has never let me down. Don't take my word for it, check out all the positive reviews on Amazon.
This one. I have had mine since the '80s and it is still going strong.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #14 on: December 31, 2018, 12:45:24 PM »
Yes, use a knife. If you want the "smashiness" of a garlic press, first smash the clove of garlic with the broad side of the knife. That also magically loosens the skin so that it peels easily without a silicone sleeve that can get dirty and stinky. Then mince the garlic with the knife.

If I can learn how to mince garlic without losing any finger tips, then you can too!

(And I have been formally diagnosed with weak visual-spatial skills which means my brain doesn't always connect what my eyes see with what my hands do -- don't ask me how many car accidents I've been in because I misjudged distance)

+1.  A garlic press is a one-use kitchen tool that you don't really need.  There's a video floating around of Jacques Pépin teaching great garlic smashing technique using your basic kitchen knife.

Found the video you referenced, very good, thank you!

https://www.foodandwine.com/video/jacques-p%C3%A9pin-peeling-crushing-and-chopping-garlic Here for others.

SnackDog

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #15 on: December 31, 2018, 01:32:15 PM »
Get the heaviest one you can find with the largest holes.

wotan

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2019, 09:10:18 AM »
get a microplane zester. will mince garlic finer then a knife and no clumps to deal with. it's also very fast, and easy to clean when done. i lke this one without the plastic handle. https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-stainless-original-zesting-grating/dp/B00004S7V7

nereo

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #17 on: March 27, 2019, 12:57:54 PM »
Mustachian solution - smash it with a rolling pin, the flat-side of a meat tenderizer, a cast-iron pan or (i saw this once) a small sample-piece of quartz countertop.

Knives chop garlic.  Presses smash them.  There's no need to own a dedicated press... if smashed garlic is what you are after just smash it with something big and heavy.  You already *have* a garlic smasher... you just need to figure out what in your kitchen that is.

GreenToTheCore

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #18 on: March 27, 2019, 01:19:20 PM »
Jacques Pépin is the man.
But, I must admit, I love my Kuhn Rikon. Super sturdy and so easy to clean.

Noodle

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2019, 01:01:41 PM »
Third on the Kuhn Rikon. I love cooking with garlic and hate mincing it with a passion. I also wanted something that would work well for people with small hands. I put an Amazon price watch on it and was able to get it for about 40% the usual price. It's very easy to clean.

Holyoak

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2019, 01:38:29 PM »
Been happy with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I937QEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Great no risk lifetime warranty, and will refund you any time with just an email.  Great service from the company too.

Metalcat

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #21 on: March 28, 2019, 02:39:48 PM »
I use a plastic garlic grinder, I started using one in kitchens back in the day and have never gone back to a press and prefer it over using a knife because I hate having my fingernails smell like garlic.

Like this one
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-pcs-Plastic-Kitchen-Twist-Garlic-Crusher-Presses-Masher-RLWH-/292572609224

fatcow240

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #22 on: March 28, 2019, 02:44:09 PM »
I'm in the knife party.  We had similar issues with a press.  They would also eventually break.  We went on a date night cooking class and learned about how to properly smash with a knife.  At some point we got rid of the press, because we no longer use it.


TrMama

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #23 on: March 28, 2019, 03:17:49 PM »
I buy several heads of garlic, peel all the cloves and then run them through my food processor. Then I store the chopped garlic double-bagged and flattened into a sheet in ziploc bags in the freezer. When I need garlic I just break of a chunk and toss it in the pot.

Yes, I know this doesn't smash the garlic. I don't care, I just want to cook faster and do less dishes.

If you want to chop it more easily with a knife, sprinkle some salt on the partially chopped garlic, it helps it break down more easily and any dish with garlic will need salt too.

accolay

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #24 on: March 30, 2019, 03:31:37 AM »
Definitely prefer just using a kitchen knife. But if you must get a press I have used the Oxo with good success.

+1

Chopping with a knife is fine, but you get more oil/flavor out of the garlic with the press... or says America's Test Kitchen.

SGU

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Re: Garlic Press Recommendation
« Reply #25 on: March 30, 2019, 04:19:44 AM »
get a microplane zester. will mince garlic finer then a knife and no clumps to deal with. it's also very fast, and easy to clean when done. i lke this one without the plastic handle. https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-stainless-original-zesting-grating/dp/B00004S7V7

+1 for the zester.  So quick and easy.