quote:

Originally posted by 83v45magna:
I have had one of these for about 25 years. Super easy to keep clean and it cannot rust. It's pretty tough to mess up:


The one in the link is revised, newer version but it is very close. The little cleaner/scraper thing now stores in between the handles. So the only tender part on the whole thing gets a bit more protection. On mine it snaps into the head witht he little cleaner nibs facing out. I never saw Pampered Chef make a change that wasn't for the better.

We have one of these, but usually take the lazy route & buy pre-minced from the store on a small glass jar.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
We have one of these, but usually take the lazy route & buy pre-minced from the store on a small glass jar.

I get the laziness/convenience angle, but pre-minced jarred garlic has almost no flavor compared to freshly prepared garlic. It's well worth the extra 30 seconds to mince/press/microplane some whole garlic cloves.

Similar to buying stale ground coffee vs. grinding it fresh, but it's even less effort to have fresh garlic.

We’ve used an older version of this brand for 15+ years. Simple, durable, does the job.

https://zyliss.com/collections/garlic-tools

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
ART-What's the objective? Uniformity, non-garlic fingers, cleanliness?

I love garlic in my cooking, and go through a lot of it. Lately I have been using the Spice World pre-crushed. I like it, because it is not in a heavy oil, like most pre-chopped or pre-crushed garlic is, but it still doesn't have the flavor of fresh.

I'l like to try buying the whole peeled clove stuff that BJs' has so I can both roast it with olive oil as a spread for bread, and use it in sauces, soups, on steak, etc. I'm usually in a hurry and am looking for a time saver that, as noted above, works, is easy to clean, and doesn't suck.

All of the presses I have used in the past left too much waste in the press itself, and were hard to clean. Hence, this quest.

Based on that, I agree with others. Smash with knife, mince as desired. Using a tenderizer hammer and some plastic wrap works.

I buy Christopher ranch peeled whole cloves that come in plastic packets of about 6-8 each. I use the hammer on that before opening the packet. Works great.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
The chefs and kitchen nuts that I know use a microplane instead of a garlic press, when they don't feel like mincing garlic with a knife.

https://www.amazon.com/Micropl...Grater/dp/B00004S7V8



Like a press, it's faster and produces a finer consistency and stronger taste than knife mincing. But a microplane is easier to clean than a garlic press, and it also serves multiple roles in the kitchen as a fine shredder/grater/zester, rather than being relegated to just one task like a garlic press and collecting dust the rest of the time.

Or if you don't mind having a one-use tool, looks like Microplane even offers a garlic-specific setup: https://www.microplane.com/garlic-mincer-red

This is what I have done for years ... and for all the same reasons.

otherwise, garlic on chopping board, flat side of knife and mince is our choice...

Sorry fellow Sigforumites…my local Publix sells “Spice World” chopped garlic in an 8 ounce jar…with that being said I have been known in my younger days to smash a clove flat with my knife and after removing the leftover “husks” and then finely chop up the cloves with said knife…I have a perfectly good press from Tupperware (it’s yellow and plastic)…but I never use it anymore…I guess I’ve just become lazy in my advancing years and forking out little garlic bits with a fork outta the jar is just the new me.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:



otherwise, garlic on chopping board, flat side of knife and mince is our choice...

As sensual as that is to watch…I’m never gonna really be do that

We got a Micro Plane as a wedding gift and love it. You can zest citrus, finely grate hard cheeses, chocolate etc and make garlic paste and also onion paste with it.

Just be careful as it’s quite sharp and you can do a number on your fingers with it.

Personal favorite

https://www.pamperedchef.com/s...+%26+Slicer+Set/2578

If I'm doing lots of garlic or I needed lots of minced onion and the tool is already dirty, I use a slap-chopper knock-off that I got free.

When I make something like meatballs, it helps if everything is minced and I go to town on the garlic and onions.

Otherwise I smash w/ a knife and cut it up. I have a press but I hate cleaning it.

I once sliced garlic so thin that I couldn’t even see it.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
I once sliced garlic so thin that I couldn’t even see it.

“Ghost” garlic?…might have have it serialized before using

I’d like to have beancooker skills. Fast, see through thin. With a knife.

Slightly off topic. I zap garlic cloves very briefly in the microwave, 10 seconds or less. Makes removing the husk from individual segments much easier. Then some random stainless nutcracker-type press with a removable screen for cleaning.

Hmmmm, more to think about.

"Spice World" is packaged right here in Orlando, so I have easy access to that, and it is the standard to be bested.

I already have a microplane; I will have to try that before going elsewhere. The Pampered Chef MFulator looks interesting as well.

Thanks again. I truly appreciate the suggestions.

A

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Based on that, I agree with others. Smash with knife, mince as desired.

I grow my own and eat a LOT of it. I've gone through 150 heads since September...that much.

Some years back I bought one of those fancy presses and used it a grand total of about three times. Pain in the butt to use and a pain in the butt to clean.

Once you get used to doing a bunch of it by hand it's quick and easy. Pop it with a knife, peel, slice/dice/mince/whatever. It doesn't really take much longer than using the press and it's much better at adjusting the intensity of flavor which differs between chopped, sliced, diced, minced, and crushed.

My wife uses a lot of garlic. Enough that we won’t ever have a vampire issue. We pick up a five pound bag of peeled garlic every six to eight weeks. I just take the bag and run it through the meat grinder attachment on the kitchenaid. I end up with a couple jars of garlic. It gets a little yellow, but never spoils and seems to taste fine.

Most of the cooking I do, I use sliced garlic.

Very nice BC! Even if you're just showing off.
like most produce, while I have access to some very fresh fruit, I wish I had access to fresher garlic.