Garlic Presses

[Suzanne F]

I have 3 coffee grinders (one for coffee, a burr type for espresso, and one for spices).  I also have a mini and a maxi food processor.  It's all about the appropriate size machine for the job!!! 

Hey, me too! You sure we weren't separated at birth?

But sorry, I almost never use my ancient garlic press. As Jinmyo says, too much trouble to find in the drawer, rinse because it's been sitting in schmutz so long, dry, use (open, drop in 1 clove, squeeze, open, push partly-crushed clove back in, squeeze, open, etc.), rinse, clean out hole-by-hole with a toothpick, rinse again, put in dishwasher, take out of dishwasher, turn inside out to finish drying, and fit back into overloaded gadget drawer. So much better to: place clove on cutting board, smack, pull off skin, chop chop smush chop smush. Then wash and dry knife, put cutting board in dishwasher, and get on with the important stuff: COOKING!

[indiagirl]

me too. i either chop or crush it with a knife or use a spice grinder (coffee mill) for large quantities. mostly, i don't feel that pressed for time, i think. stealing five-ten minute increments from the sleep quota seems to just come easy!

i used to have an oxo press and did not like it all - it must have been an older edition because it did not have an ingenious cleaning thingy (or i just missed it's existence but i don't think so) and so i ended up with too much waste, too much of a cleaning pain, not to mention that i had to stick my fingers in there to get all the garlic out and then they smelled like garlic for days.

therein lies one difference between crushed and chopped - the former makes your fingers smell more.

i frequently dry roast my garlic in the skin on a very slow fire for 15-20 minutes. love the flavor and the skins just come of on their own. i learned that in rick bayless' book.

[insalata_pazza]

not to mention that i had to stick my fingers in there to get all the garlic out and then they smelled like garlic for days.

therein lies one difference between crushed and chopped - the former makes your fingers smell more.

That raises another question. What's the best way to get the garlic smell out of your fingers? Lemon juice? Salt? Stainless steel? I've heard about little metal gadgets you can buy solely for this purpose, but that seems a little excessive, so I just run my hand along the knife as I'm rinsing it off and that seems to work pretty well.

And what about the rest of your body? In one of my first attempts to make pesto, I used two heads of very old, strong garlic. Later that night the smell of garlic seeping out of my pores actually woke me up. I was afraid to leave the house for two days afterward.

Angie

[=Mark]

I've never understood this stainless steel thing. Isn't the whole point of stainless is that it's non reactive? Does this mean there's no point in cooking with garlic if I'm going to use stainless cookware or utensils?

Sounds Urban Mythy to me...

[NeroW]

That raises another question. What's the best way to get the garlic smell out of your fingers? Lemon juice? Salt? Stainless steel?

I may be an oddity in that this has never bothered me. I don't mind the smell of it on my hands. I had one BF who was absolutely attracted to the smells of garlic and onions on my hands. However, garlic seeping out of the pores is another story.

I also use my mini-chop for large quantities of garlic, i.e., anything much over 1 head. It's a cheapo Black & Decker and it has paid for itself just in this one application--which is good, because it's useless for everything else but breadcrumbs.

[DaveFaris]

I'm guessing that I'm probably the only person here who buys the jars of pre-chopped garlic, aren't I?

[NeroW]

I'm guessing that I'm probably the only person here who buys the jars of pre-chopped garlic, aren't I?

Probably not, but you may be the only one who admits it.

[JAZ]

I've never understood this stainless steel thing.  Isn't the whole point of stainless is that it's non reactive?  Does this mean there's no point in cooking with garlic if I'm going to use stainless cookware or utensils?

Sounds Urban Mythy to me...

I've been told that it's something to do with ions. I'm not sure I believe that, but from experience, I can say that the stainless steel effect on the smell of garlic and onions is true to a degree. That is, it doesn't completely remove the smell, but it diminishes it quite a bit. It doesn't work with other odors (fish, for example).

[Jim Dixon]

klink,

I don't think you could sharpen the slicer...it's pretty flimsy, but also cheap, so you may have to buy another one.

Jim

[Marlene]

I'm guessing that I'm probably the only person here who buys the jars of pre-chopped garlic, aren't I?

Probably not, but you may be the only one who admits it.

Nope, I do too. Especially when I'm in a hurry.

[indiagirl]

I'm guessing that I'm probably the only person here who buys the jars of pre-chopped garlic, aren't I?

prechopped??

jar???

ohmegod

arrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh

:) :) :)

emoticons dont work!

more seriously, i don't necessarily mind the smell of garlic but i prefer the cooked garlic smell from eating it with your fingers to the raw garlic smell that comes from cutting it

never tried the steel thing. don't sound right.

[Varmint]

more seriously, i don't necessarily mind the smell of garlic but i prefer the cooked garlic smell from eating it with your fingers to the raw garlic smell that comes from cutting it

Reason #11 to reconsider the utility of a garlic press!

[tommy]

I'm guessing that I'm probably the only person here who buys the jars of pre-chopped garlic, aren't I?

oh man, i didn't want to bring that up as i assumed no one here would.

i bought one of those years ago, thinking "hey, this will save me a lot of time!" the texture alone was enough for me to throw the whole thing out. and i've been known to take many shortcuts.

[Varmint]

Heck, I'm the master of the garlic press, and even I don't use the jarred garlic. I find it really has little to no garlic flavor, unless you use the entire jar.

[Marlene]

unless you use the entire jar.

Well yes...

[hedgehog]

I am a great advocate of hand-chopping garlic when I plan to eat it raw

On the other hand, if you plant to cook the garlic, the storng odor and taste disappear. One of the most fascinating tests to try is in the peeling: take two cloves of garlic; slam one Chinese style with a knife or cleaver, and cut the other one in half delicately. Smell and taste the difference. Since the Chinese always cook their garlic; it's perfectly ok for them. But the hand chopped garlic that is so often strewn over food needs more delicate handling; otherwise it would overwhelm the food.'

to quote food and wine writer Matt Kramer: "garlic is a member of the allium family, all of which contain various amounts of sulfur. However, garlic has its unique properties. A scientific explanation goes as follows: the pungent aroma of garlic is contained in an olorless compoound claled "allin" When the garlic clove is intact, this compound is stable. But when the clove is chopped or crushed it comes in contact with an an enzyme which hangs around in another part of the clove. THis enzyme converts alliin into three parts: ammonia, another sulfur compound, and pyruvic acid (which resembles acetic acid or, in the vernacular of the street, vinegar). It is the sulfur compound which is ultimately responsible for hte characteristic odor of garlic. In short, chopping brings less of the alliin into contact with the enzyme which sets al this into motiuon; crushing creates a more intimate mingling, the result being an unpleasnatly strong garlic flavor and aroma.".

[hedgehog]

I am a great advocate of hand-chopping garlic when I plan to eat it raw

On the other hand, if you plant to cook the garlic, the storng odor and taste disappear. One of the most fascinating tests to try is in the peeling: take two cloves of garlic; slam one Chinese style with a knife or cleaver, and cut the other one in half delicately. Smell and taste the difference. Since the Chinese always cook their garlic; it's perfectly ok for them. But the hand chopped garlic that is so often strewn over food needs more delicate handling; otherwise it would overwhelm the food.'

to quote food and wine writer Matt Kramer: "garlic is a member of the allium family, all of which contain various amounts of sulfur. However, garlic has its unique properties. A scientific explanation goes as follows: the pungent aroma of garlic is contained in an olorless compoound claled "allin" When the garlic clove is intact, this compound is stable. But when the clove is chopped or crushed it comes in contact with an an enzyme which hangs around in another part of the clove. THis enzyme converts alliin into three parts: ammonia, another sulfur compound, and pyruvic acid (which resembles acetic acid or, in the vernacular of the street, vinegar). It is the sulfur compound which is ultimately responsible for hte characteristic odor of garlic. In short, chopping brings less of the alliin into contact with the enzyme which sets al this into motiuon; crushing creates a more intimate mingling, the result being an unpleasnatly strong garlic flavor and aroma.".

[KatieLoeb]

A couple of days ago I got an Omessi "E-Z-Rol" garlic peeler. It works GREAT!

I'd be willing to bet this would work with the cardboard roll from the inside of toilet paper as well, and probably more cheaply...

[Varmint]

BUT, if you finely chop to a mince, is that any different than with a press.

I couldn't find an image that's representative of beating a dead horse.

[Human Bean]

Peeling: I just whack the clove with the side of my cleaver (or big chef's knife if I had one) and the skin slips right off. Alternatively, if you have one of those flat round rubber jar-opener thingys, you don't need the green manicotti tube for peeling. Just fold the jar-opener over the clove and roll, and the skin will peel off.

Chop vs press: I have a press, but only use it if a recipe specifically calls for it. Otherwise I prefer to chop to whatever size is appropriate. Along with St. Jacques, Martin Yan is very skilled at whacking a peeled clove into a big flat smear on the cutting board; a tiny bit of chopping, and he's done. Total elapsed time: about two seconds. I'm not good at that, but I've haven't really tried it very much.

Stainless steel for odor removal: It works; I'd guess it's about 85% effective at removing the smell from hands and fingers. I rub my hand/fingers over the aforementioned cleaver when washing it; works great. One time at a store, I saw an official Paul Prudhomme garlic smell remover - a piece of stainless steel somewhat larger than a business card, for $5. I laughed at the ability to sell such a thing at a grossly inflated price.

[tommy]

I'd be willing to bet this would work with the cardboard roll from the inside of toilet paper as well, and probably more cheaply...

depending on your bathroom habits, those rolls probably aren't as readily available. i'll choose to spend the 5 bucks for the convenience.

[hedgehog]

I think you cut the garlic in half in order to remove the green shoot. I've heard many cooks say the shoot in the garlic is too harsh to use raw.

[JAZ]

A couple of days ago I got an Omessi "E-Z-Rol" garlic peeler. It works GREAT!

I'd be willing to bet this would work with the cardboard roll from the inside of toilet paper as well, and probably more cheaply...

Actually, I doubt it. The rubbery material of the peeler grabs onto the skin of the garlic to pull it off, so you'd need something with a texture like that.

[gknl]

I've never understood this stainless steel thing.  Isn't the whole point of stainless is that it's non reactive?  Does this mean there's no point in cooking with garlic if I'm going to use stainless cookware or utensils?

Sounds Urban Mythy to me...

It works, but better if you rub your hands on the steel under running water. I kinda, sorta, vaguely remember reading that it had something to do with how oils stick to different surfaces, ie human skin v the stainless steel. I have a stainless steel sink which makes it easy, but sometimes just use the knife blade. Cool water works better than hot and I usually use a little dish soap too. I've found it works on garlic, onions, fish, and even jalepeno peppers. It doesn't get it all, but it does knock it down considerably, to where it's only faintly detectable.

It's easy enough to test. Chop some garlic and get it on two fingers. Wash one normally with soap and water, rub the other one against something stainles steel and smell what difference, if any, it makes.

[mogsob]

It takes all of 2 seconds to peel garlic if you pound the clove first with the palm of your hand on the cutting board.

Personally, I never use a press, as I like to cook thinly sliced garlic in just about everything (perhaps it's due to watching the Godfather too many times). I find that I can control the cooking better with sliced as opposed to minced garlic.

My wife, on the other hand, always uses a garlic press (the Zyliss version). I can taste no difference in garlic flavor.

To each their own!