Do any of you own a garlic press?

[Corey123]

How many of you own a garlic press? I found it to be one of those must-have kitchen gadgets.

I just bought one over the weekend. It's made by Farberware and it's made from a heavy chrome-plated cast metal. It really works great.

I bought a cheap & flimsy lightweight one some time ago, but THIS particular one didn't work so well like the one I got now.


~Corey123.

 

[Andy M.]

I don't own one. I used to have one but got tired of cleaning it and reverted to the chefs knife.

 

[Corey123]

This one comes with plastic a cleaner that pokes into the holes which aids in easier cleaning.


~Corey123.

 

[urmaniac13]

Mine looks just like this, after breaking two of them in succession (just snapped and I wasn't even pressing so excessively hard!), we made sure the 3rd one was made of stainless steel. the inside comes apart separately, so it is also easy to clean. Paid more than double than the other ones (€11), but it was well worth the price. I would like to master one day the art of smashing the clove with the side of a knife blade, though...

 

[Andy M.]

This one comes with plastic a cleaner that pokes into the holes which aids in easier cleaning.


~Corey123.

Mine did too. The plastic cleaner was attached to the back side of the other handle and you swung the handle all the way around so the cleaner pushed into the press holes from the outside.

Licia reminds me that I broke a few also.

 

[vyapti]

I've had two 'Pampered Chef' garlic presses. Killed the first on a piece of ginger. They're supposed handle ginger but don't. Anyone else have a press that does ginger too?

 

[bethzaring]

No, I no longer own a garlic press, was not worth the mess, I use a lot of garlic, I raise about 500 bulbs a season. And I have re-thought the concept of mincing, life is too short to mince, I now chunk.

 

[jennyema]

I have one but haven't used it for years.

I find it easier to use my knife to mince or make a paste.

 

[Corey123]

A mortor and pestel also works, I was told.


~Corey123.

 

[pdswife]

I have one... but I don't use it. It's so much easier just to chop it up.

 

[mish]

Personally, I find it useless. The garlic does not come out of the little holes. I take a big knife, place it over the clove(s), & smash - done. The other apparatus (can't think of the name) I use, is a silver sort a scraper with a rounded edge. Pound down on the garlic and use the flat edge to scrape it into the pan. It also eliminates peeling the clove(s).

 

[Alix]

I just killed another garlic press. I find if I get a good heavy duty one I can really do some damage garlic wise. I find a garlic press invaluable for making caesar salad dressing. I simply cannot mince it fine enough for that. I just smash it when I am cooking with it though.

 

[CharlieD]

I would prefer mortor and pestel, but since I broke mine and have not replaced it yet, I use my garlic press all the time, I love garlic in almost anything.

 

[jennyema]

Mince it, then smash it with the side of your knife to make a paste.

 

[corazon]

Mincing it with kosher salt will make it a fine paste as well.
I have a garlic press but I don't use it often. When I am using my food processor for a few different things at dinner, I'll just pulse the garlic in there. Easy.

 

[mish]

Most disappointing thing about the garlic press is that I couldn't get any garlic juice out of it - thru the holes. The 'press' is just that - it will press it, not mince, chop or make a paste. It looked good standing with my other gadgets, but a waste of space, IMHO.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I have one, but rarely use it these days. I either just smash the clove with the side of a knife & then chop/mince it, or I use my "garlic plane", which slices cloves paper thin on one side, or grates them on the other. You stick the cloves in a plastic holder & then use a plastic pusher to apply the clove to the sharp surface. Have had it for years & love it.

 

[lulu]

Mine is somewhere clogging up valuable space at the back of a drawer. I squash and chop or if I am finely chopping lots of ingreadiants I do it in a handheld Braun whizzer...which is how I do ginger too. I too find them more time cleaning than it taks to finely chop a squashed clove or too.....

 

[Jikoni]

I have one but prefer a wooden mortar and pestle which I can't get here so looking forward to going to Kenya in the summer to get one.How do you crush your ginger?

 

[Corey123]

Personally, I find it useless. The garlic does not come out of the little holes. I take a big knife, place it over the clove(s), & smash - done. The other apparatus (can't think of the name) I use, is a silver sort a scraper with a rounded edge. Pound down on the garlic and use the flat edge to scrape it into the pan. It also eliminates peeling the clove(s).

I do that with the knife. Pound the unpeeled garlic cloves with the blade over
them with my fist, then peel the cloves. It IS easier to peel them that way, as you suggest!

I got a Chinese clever that I use a lot for chopping and slicing veggies, and it's perfect for this job.

But trust me, this press really works! I've seen Rachal Ray and other use this exact same one on the Food Network.


~Corey123.